The Other Greengrass Girl
by EndlessNight101
Summary: COMPLETE! SEQUEL UP! Daphne Greengrass had Draco. Then she lost him to her worst nightmare; her own sister. Now, as she watches her sister living her dream life, she reflects where she went wrong with the love of her life. R&R!
1. The Wedding

**AN:**_ I wish I could remember what brought about this idea, but all I know is that I've been pretty excited to write this for a few days... the title has nothing to do with the story; it just happens to be one of my fav books/ movies, and I felt it described how I wanted Daphne to feel. I intend on doing a chapter for each year at Hogwarts, explaining some details of Draco and Daphne's relationship.  
The characters are based on the canon characters based on book references and hand drawn family trees/class lists from JK Rowling that I found on the Harry Potter Lexicon. I find that website extremely informative, and I use it for all my researching.  
**I do not own Harry Potter or the characters used in this story. They belong to the intelligent and very wealthy JK Rowling.  
Read and Review, even if you hate it. Constructive Criticism is welcome!! My first serious HP fic in a LONG time...**_

I had never felt so uncomfortable in my life.

It wasn't the fact that I was forced to wear this horrid dress that made me look like a great big pumpkin. It wasn't because I was about to freeze to death in the September wind that was rushing past me. And it wasn't even that I here against my will, guilted by my controlling parents, or that I hadn't spoken to _her_ in months because of this very moment, which I was now being forced to watch.

It was the fact that _she_ had won. _She_ was about to take away everything I had hoped all my life for; dreamt every night about, and prayed that it would come true. Now, as I watched helplessly as _they_ gazed lovingly into each other's eyes, their glorious future laid out before them, I couldn't help but hate her.

_Only_ her.

I could never hate him. After all, Draco had never even met _her_ until last summer. He was all mine until then; my secret friend... among other things. Evidently the secret aspect of our relations had backfired. The arrangement that was originally been made to prevent Pansy from finding out (and thus strangling me...) had now ruined my life. But she was the least of my worries by now; telling my parents all about the things I'd done would be far worse than any reaction Pansy could come up with. It's not like my parents would have believed me anyways; they always thought I was lying about being very close to Draco all these years. I didn't blame them though; it's a little suspicious when you suddenly say that you had encounters with Draco Malfoy right after it is announced that he is, in fact, going to marry your _sister_. If it had been my sister in my position, I would have called her a liar without a second thought. ..

But she didn't call me a liar, and neither did my parents; they just ignored my pleas and complaints, and continued on with their merry lives as if I didn't exist. My parents saw me as less important than my younger sister; she is, after all, more attractive and social than I am... or so I'm told. But to my sister, I was a threat to exposure; I knew what she was really like, and she knew that I was waiting for the right moment to expose her...

Neither my sister nor my parents called me a liar because they knew it was true. They knew I would never make up such a story for attention (that was Astoria's trick...). The fact was that they didn't care, and Astoria intended on keeping it that way... She claimed it was mother and father's idea. However, unlike the previously mentioned people, I am not such a fool to Astoria's ways. I knew what she was capable of; what she could convince anyone (especially mother and father) to do once she set her mind to it. Now she had suckered Draco, our parents, and all of my friends into a romance that was supposed to have happened by _fate_.

Everyone had forgotten the detail that Draco was here visiting _me_ the day he met her. She had moved quickly after that, spinning her web. She truly was a black widow in the making... someone to rival Blaise Zabini's mother...

Yes, I saw what lied in store for them both; Astoria getting what she wanted, as usual, and Draco getting what he wanted too... much to my dismay. I would give anything to have my past back... to be in her position once again... There was no use in me denying that he loved _her _now. Even though I knew he _should_ love me; I knew things about him that no one else knew! I had fallen for him even before Pansy had made a move on him! But I, Daphne... foolish Daphne, who always thought everything through... Who never betrayed my friends because I knew that your life may someday depend on them, was too damn sympathetic and _sweet_ to backstab them all! Now I wanted to drink a bottle of poison out of hatred for myself... If I owned a time-turner, I would not hesitate to go back and change everything... and at this rate, I also wouldn't hesitate in killing my sister either.

It was all _her _fault... She had turned my own parents against me, so no matter where I went or what I said, they were always there to chastise me; "Why can't you be happy for her? She's you little sister? You can't be _jealous _of your little sister!"  
How I hated the word _jealous._ Because I knew that's what I was. After all, what other feeling was I expected to have when my little sister, who had always outshined me in every aspect of life, had now stolen what made my life extraordinary!  
I had confronted her once with this fact when she called me jealous the day I found out about this marriage; she took no blame for anything. "You can't blame me for what fate has done! And how was I supposed to know I was falling in love? I've never been in love!" she cried, before dramatically running out of the room, leaving my mother to scold and scream at me, like it was _my_ fault.  
I knew better than them; Draco was certainly not the first guy _she_'d ever fallen for...There had been a string of guys that was as long as a class list! And I only knew this because I had seen her in action while at Hogwarts; almost every month, there would be some new fling she would hang off of every waking moment, and then, as suddenly as they appeared, they would never be seen near her again. She sickened me because of this.

But Draco was _my_ first love. And no matter how many times I told them this, they never seemed to care. What's worse is that Draco, because he had never witnessed these arguments amongst my family, had no clue that I was (still) madly in love with him! I never understood how he couldn't know; did he think I did all those things for him because we were just _friends_? Surely he wasn't _that_ stupid!

If only I had been more beautiful... like _her_. If only I had been more charming and clever... like _her_. She was everything I wasn't. I cursed the fact that I was born first; the test-run of DNA and parenting that clearly had a less-than-satisfactory result (to no fault of mine, but I dare not tell my _parents_ that). If I had been like her, then maybe I would still have him!

I'd already missed the 'If anyone has any objections, please speak now' part of the service. Letting my shoulders drop in defeat, I stood like a dead tree, swaying with the wind unconsciously. I held onto the bouquet with my nails dug into the stems to hold myself back. All I wanted to do now was rip her down off the steps and stand in her place..._  
Why should I hold back? She's ruined my life, and she should pay for it, even if she is my sister!... especially if she is my sister!_ I thought bitterly, gnawing the inside of my lip to sustain my urges to kill her. As far as I was concerned, the only thing we had in common were our parents and some DNA; she was no sibling of mine. This made it very difficult to not take the 4 steps towards her and rip her hair out or curse her... both these plans were running through my brain, and I was seriously thinking of acting on my thoughts.

"...Then I now pronounce you man and wife."  
I felt my face contort with anger and confusion, which was halted by my mother jabbing her heel onto my toe. I couldn't believe I had zoned out for the entire ceremony. It was all about to end... both my torture _and_ my chance at happiness...  
"You may kiss the bride..."

Upon hearing those words, I turned and walked away, despite hearing my mother hissing angrily, demanding my return. I knew that she would rip me apart for 'making a scene' later, as would Astoria, but I didn't care; as far as I was concerned, my life was over, and I wanted to get a head start on my misery by being alone... give myself the chance to reflect on where I had gone wrong all those years ago...

When I found a quiet room in the Malfoy Manor, I locked the door behind me and stared into the fire I lit for myself. I had reflected on my past so much in the past year that I was beginning dream my own memories. But I couldn't stop myself; how had I let this happen to me? How could I have gone from having everything, and it a fraction of a second, lose it all?

It all started my first day at Hogwarts...

**AN: ****_Please review. I would love to know what you think!! Next chapter up soon!!_**


	2. Year 1

_**AN: Sorry I took so long to update... been busy with work and sleep. So this chapter ended up to be massively long, so I hope that in the future, this will be the longest, or I'll split it up.  
Also, my story is based off the movies more than the book. Settings will be the movie because they're easier for me to remember, but I'll try and base Year 2 around the book more...  
And I don't own Harry Potter or it's characters... JK Rowling does.  
Anyways, review and all that jazz. **_

Year 1

The train was slowly jerking to a stop, causing many of its first time riders to lose their balance and drop their books and candy. Daphne was one of them, although she did not end up on the floor like the girl across from her. She had introduced herself as Pavarti, and her sister was Padma; they had kept going on and on about their parents and their last visit to India. Daphne wished she could say that she had traveled the world, but she had never even left England!

_ My parents are far too busy to carry me about Europe... _she thought. A small twinge of pain hit her when she recalled what had happened only hours before. Her parents, frustrated that they were missing work and social opportunities, had rushed her onto the platform, practically pushed her onto the train, and then scurried away with barely a goodbye or good luck. The only thing that was audible was "Make sure you're sorted into a _good_ house!"

Daphne knew what that meant: Slytherin. But she had no complaints about being sorted into a house with such prestige and tradition. There had never been another option to her. She glanced over at Pavarti and Padma, who were gathering their matching trunks off the shelf above their heads; _I wonder which house they'll be sorted into... probably the same one, I would imagine... I can't imagine they would separate siblings _she thought, mimicking their actions and gathering her own trunk.

"Oh wow, look at the castle! Is _that_ Hogwarts?" Padma asked. Her sister rolled her eyes.  
"Of course it is! What did you think it was; a shack on a hill?"  
Padmas said nothing to this; only made a small face at her sister, then turned to Daphne "You're lucky that you have no siblings here with you."  
Daphne opened her mouth to say that she did, in fact, have a sibling, but was cut short by the prefects walking past the car, instructing them to meet someone called 'Hagrid' by the boats. _Perhaps it's for the better... Astoria will probably make quite a show on her own when she arrives in two years..._

Daphne rode in the boats beside Pavarti and Padma, who were both gazing in awe at the dark castle that stood like a mountain beside the lake. Daphne had never seen anything like it, and wondered if the other first riding in their own boats felt the same. When she glanced around for further inspection, she was pleased that indeed everyone was looking awestruck at the school ahead. Once the boats were anchored ashore, she followed the large group of what were to be her classmates up through the castle and to wait outside the Great Hall.

There was some sort of commotion at the front of the crowd. A boy, who had a pointed face and the blondest hair she'd ever seen, was talking to two other boys; one with black, messy hair, and another with red hair.

"...all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford..." his voice carried back through the people who were slowly gathering around. "...You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort." He continued, despite the expressed hisses and whispers around him. The name also rang a bell; Potter? As in _Harry_ Potter? Daphne had no idea he was her age! The only thing she had ever heard about him was her parents cursing his name every once in a while. As for the other family, she couldn't say she'd heard of them; Weasley? What kind of name was that?! "I can help you there" the blonde boy added to Harry. She didn't hear his response, but from the look on the blonde boys face, it wasn't the one he expected. _Well, he has a point... I mean, some families are quite disgraceful... _she agreed silently, not wanting to draw the same amount of attention that the other boy had gotten so far.

A tall witch appeared at the front and led them all into the front of the Great Hall. Daphne glanced around at the hundreds of students that all peered at them curiously. They were starting to call the students in order by last name. Standing there, she looked at the old hat that was placed on everyone's heads. Then, before she even noticed how far they were in the list, the old witch called her name.  
"Daphne Greengrass"  
Daphne looked around a little frantically before she felt her feet carrying her towards the stool at the front. Then she took her seat and felt the old, musty smelling hat lowered on her head.  
_"Hmm... Interesting. You have an independence that helps you in many houses... but you have a mind for planning, which narrows it down... your heart is loyal and true, but you have your own interests at the core... and you hold your opinions high above others, and are willing to fight to prove them right... well then, since I see what those opinions are, there is only once place to put you..."_ the hat paused. Daphne had hoped that the Sorting Hats entire speech was something only she could hear; having her traits and faults broadcast before everyone wasn't an ideal way to start the year. Now, as she listened for her house to be announced, her heart raced with anticipation "SLYTHERIN!"

A wave of relief washed over her as she felt the hat removed from her head. She opened her eyes to see the table at the far right cheering for her placement. She smiled and climbed off the stole and ran down to her house. Taking a seat on the bench, a few of the older students congratulated her and shook her hand. There were 4 other first years who had already been sorted, now sitting around her. The two large boys introduced themselves as Crabbe and Goyle. A girl with black hair, who Daphne considered to not be very attractive, introduced herself as Millicent Bulstrode (_What a name! _Daphne thought), while another girl named Tracey Davis, who was much more attractive, with brown hair and golden eyes, smiled and spoke to her first.  
"Greengrass? As in Medea's daughter?" she asked, glancing her over, apparently trying to compare her to her mother.  
"Yeah. How do you know my mother?" Daphne replied, smiling a little; a friend may be in the near future.  
"My mother went to school with your mother, back at Beauxbaton." She explained.  
"Really? Well, it's a shame I've never met you..." she trailed off as she watched the blonde haired boy from earlier start up to the stole. She had missed his name, so she turned back to Tracey "Who is that boy?"  
"That's Draco Malfoy. Son of Lucius Malfoy. I'm sure you've heard of him." She smirked at her lack of knowledge. Daphne felt her cheeks go a little pink.  
"Oh, of course I know Lucius... my father works for him." She said quietly, watching as Draco took a seat on the stool. The hat had barely touched his head when it shouted out 'SLYTHERIN!'.  
"No surprise there." Tracey smiled, clapping with the rest of their house. Malfoy walked over to the table and took a seat beside the two hulking boys that resembled ogres (they were apparently called Crabbe and Goyle)

"Well, that was easy." Malfoy said, fixing his hair from where the hat had messed it up. "Lucky you two got into Slytherin or I would have never spoken to you again." He told Crabbe and Goyle. They said nothing in response. Draco now turned his attention towards the girls. "And who are you three?"  
The other two introduced themselves first, and then Daphne cleared her throat discreetly before she replied. He smiled smugly at her name "Lennox Greengrass's kid? Interesting..." he said before he turned his head back towards the front of the hall. Daphne wasn't sure she liked the way he said her father's name, but decided that it only made sense; Lucius was very powerful, and surely Draco knew that, so it only made sense that he would feel superior to her father and her. _Not like I couldn't show him a thing or two that the Greengrass's can do... _she thought, smirking a little to herself as she also watched the front.

Three other classmates had joined them by the end of the ceremony; Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, and Blaise Zabini. Now all settled, the feast began, and all the new Slytherin students began their first meal at Hogwarts.  
"... I can't believe Potter got sorted in Gryffindor! And with Weasley, no less!" Malfoy carried on as he ate his food like a king. The newest girl, Pansy, already seemed enwrapped in him, hanging on his every word.  
"Who needs Potter? It's not like he's _important_ or anything." She drawled, helping herself to more of the chicken wings.  
"He's the _most_ important person in this school! And if we had him, just think of what we could have done with him! He's impressionable, having lived with muggles all his life... we could have convinced him to do _anything_!" he grumbled. Daphne decided that this conversation was not one to get involved with. From what she had heard from her parents, the Malfoy's lives changed completely when Lord Voldermort was destroyed, so it was no wonder that Draco had intended on getting back at The Boy Who Lived.  
"Well it's not like he's special anymore." Blaise sniffed "His fifteen-minutes of fame ended years ago; it's not like he's going to use his heroic status for anything..."  
"He has a point." Theodore remarked, reaching past Daphne for the potatoes "Potter grew up in a world where no one knew or cared about him. Surely he wouldn't _know_ how to be a hero if he wanted to."  
"You may all be sure of yourselves." Draco rolled his eyes "But I'm convinced that someone... like Weasley, will play up how important he is, and it will go straight to his head... you just watch." He grumbled.  
"Well, we'll have to see if he has any _talent _first." Daphne remarked, looking down at her food when the others met her eyes._  
_"Of course he has _talent_! He defeated You-Know-Who!" Pansy sneered. Daphne, who took slight offense to the condescending tone of her voice, looked up again and back into her housemate's eyes.  
"I don't know about you, Pansy" she started "But I don't think he's been practicing all these years… as Draco said, he's been living with Muggles all these years… And I doubt he remembers how he did it. Or are you going to claim that you have memories from when you were an infant?" Daphne sniffed.  
Pansy narrowed her eyes for a moment, apparently assessing her opponent. Then she flipped her hair over her shoulder and acted like nothing had happened "I see your point. I suppose we'll all have to wait and see... he could be expelled by tomorrow, after all."

The others all looked between the two girls, then changed the subject before Draco could get another word in about it. Thankful for this, Daphne turned her attention to the boy that had sat beside her.  
"So, you're Theodore Nott?" she said cheerily as she took a bite of her carrots. He gave her an odd look and moved a little bit farther away from her when he saw her chewing at the same time.  
"Yes, what's your point?" he asked indignantly. Daphne was surprised by his reaction and raised one eyebrow at him.  
"Nothing. I was just trying to see if I'd gotten your name right." She said after swallowing her food.  
"Oh. I was waiting for you to make a crack about my father." He said, turning back to him meal. Daphne raised her eyebrow again.  
"Why would I do that? I don't even know your father."  
"No one does. But he married a younger wife, and yet somehow outlived her. Puts me on the same line as Zabini."

Now the dark skinned boy named Blaise looked up and narrowed his eyes at Theodore. "Don't you start about my mother, Nott." He warned, pointing his fork threateningly at him. Daphne noted that apparently they had met before.  
"Well, I didn't know that... about either of your parents." She assured them, glancing at Blaise too for a moment.  
"Not sure how you couldn't." Draco cut in from the other side of the table "It's all over the Prophet almost monthly. Between Nott's father still under investigation for his wife's death, and Zabini's mother marrying half of Europe, I can't imagine you read very often to not have known." Crabbe and Goyle laughed at his remark.

Daphne did not react immediately. She took two seconds of silence to show that she was not amused by his assumption, then smiled politely.  
"I don't read the garbage that the Prophet prints." She said lightly. "And if I remember correctly, wasn't your father in there a few times? If I recall, it wasn't anything to throw a party for." Her smile turned more devious. Draco was at a momentary loss of words, narrowing his eyes slightly.  
"Watch what you say, and remember your place. Your father works for mine, _Daphne_" he retorted. She didn't say anything immediately; she knew that Draco could write home to his father and convince him that she was a horrid girl, and that it was somehow her father's fault.  
"I never said anything in the Prophet was _true_. I was just reminding you that our families have all had their share of bad press... some more than others." She reprimanded.

There was silence for a few moments, with Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle waiting for Draco's response. He was apparently satisfied because he nodded his head and turned to say something to Zabini, who had a sour look on his face after having his mother insulted. Daphne took the opportunity to talk to Theodore again, who rolled his eyes at being interrupted from his eating again.  
"What happened to your mother?" she asked, now pouring herself a glass of pumpkin juice.  
"Don't know. I came in from the garden just in time to see her take her last breath. Ministry reckoned it was poison. I was about 8 at the time." He said in a disturbingly calm voice. Daphne awkwardly took a sip of her drink before she continued.  
"And why is your father_ suspected_?" she continued, careful to emphasize the operative word.  
"Because he was the only one home." He said in the same cool tone "And they'd had a fight the night before at a friend's house. They claimed that it was really serious, and they were worried if they wouldn't get a divorce after it. So, of course, the Ministry _assumes_ that my father would rather murder his wife then divorce her."  
"How horrible." She said, not knowing what else to say. Theodore only shrugged.  
"I'm used to reactions like his" he said in a low voice, nudging his head towards Draco, who was now occupied discussing something with Pansy and Millicent "But it's not like his father isn't as bad as mine, like you said."  
"Yes, well, as he also said, my father works for Lucius; I should probably hold my tongue next time." She replied in the same hushed voice.  
"Pfft, what's Draco going to do? Throw a temper tantrum until his father fires your father?" Theodore chuckled. He looked over at Draco, who was now giving Millicent a sour face about something "On second thought, best steer clear of that topic of conversation... someone like you probably has to be close to Draco in order to keep your family happy." He remarked, turning back to his food. She wondered what he meant by that, but he had no time to ask; the prefects were now rounding up all the first years to lead them down to the common room.

Classes were a whole new challenge for Daphne. Her mother had been amazing at Potions, and was one of the most accomplished witches at Beauxbaton (which Tracey reminded her of frequently). But Daphne was not doing so well; she had failed the first two lessons and was beginning to wonder if perhaps she had skipped out entirely on her mother's blood and gone straight for her father's.

Medea Roux, as she was called then, was one of the brightest and prettiest girls in her year at Beauxbaton. She had red hair and blue eyes, which Daphne only received a variant of her hair colour, (given a lighter, strawberry blonde version). And although she had also received her mother's same round, gently carved face, that was it as far as looks; she did not have the same lean, long figure, or her graceful manor. The only other thing she'd gotten was her wit and cunning mind, but apparently had missed out on the intelligent part...

Daphne was convinced that the majority of her traits had come from her father, Lennox Greengrass. He had gone to Hogwarts years ago, and from what she had heard, was very talented at charms (she could only hope this was true, since Charms was the only class she hadn't had yet!), as well as a very skilled dueller. He was an average built man, with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes; Daphne, unfortunately, received his build. The only defining feature that her father had that was out of the ordinary was his deep, booming voice that sounded like a great God was speaking. It was low and strong enough to send fear into any child's heart, or anyone that was unfortunate to be on the wrong end of a yell.

She had explained all these traits to Tracey, whom she had become very close to over the past few weeks. Tracey, in return, informed her that she was, in fact, a half-blood, but that she never knew her father. Her mother told her family that she was forced, and had become pregnant by a man who jumped her in the streets.  
"It's all a load of crap." Tracey added right after she told Daphne "Mum see's him all the time; they're married, in fact. She just didn't want to be disowned for falling in love with a mudblood. Course, I'm not allowed to meet him... in fact, she keeps telling me that she doesn't know _who_ my father is... little does she know, I read her diary almost weekly... makes for a good bedtime story."  
Daphne couldn't help but laugh at Tracey's humour, and yet couldn't blame her mother for hiding that detail either; if she had fallen for a mudblood, or worse, a Muggle, she would surely be excommunicated from her family without a second thought.

Daphne and Tracey, along with Theodore (who occasionally graced them with his presence) were now heading down to their first Flying lessons, which was with the Gryffindors. Malfoy and the others were about 20 paces ahead of them, crossing the lawn towards the crowd of other first years, all standing around with brooms.  
"Today ought to be interesting." Theodore remarked like he was talking about the weather "Malfoy's been going on and on about how good he's at Quidditch. Time to put his claims to the test..."  
"You really don't like him very much, do you?" Tracey giggled at the hidden meaning of his statement.  
"I have nothing against him... I just don't see the need to depend on to one group of people. Why devote yourself to one gang of people? It only limits the number of allies you could have."  
"I'm not sure how we should take that, Daphne." Tracey smirked, poking Daphne lightly in the shoulder.  
Daphne smiled but then shrugged her shoulders "Nott does have a valid point; why limit your friends? I try to be friendly with everyone in our house, but there are some that I just clash with... I will assume that Draco is your nemesis, Theodore."  
"Assume what you wish; I consider Draco my friend. I just don't consider myself part of his gang."  
"Oh, well that's alright then. We're in the same boat, aren't we?" Tracey said, nudging Daphne again.  
"Well, we're close to Pansy and Millicent, and Blaise and Draco as well... but I can't say I've ever carried out a conversation with Crabbe or Goyle..." Daphne added.  
"That's because their mental capacity is too small for speech..." Theodore mumbled as they caught up to the other Slytherins.  
"...My father is suppose to get me a broom for my birthday this year... I already have one at home, but I wanted a new one for my second year... I'm intending on trying out for the Quidditch team as soon as I'm allowed." Draco was boasting again. Theodore made a face to Tracey and Daphne, but said nothing. It took the ring leader a moment to realize that the others were now with them "Oh, hello you three. Where were you all morning?"  
"We skipped breakfast for some extra sleep." Tracey said lightly, stepping forward to Pansy "Wow, I like that hair band! Where did you get it?"  
"Madame Malkin made it for me. I doubt you could afford it, but I'll give it to you when I'm done with it if you like." She purred vainly. Tracey forced a smile, but said nothing more. She knew that Pansy considered her low for being a half-blood, but like all other wizarding families, felt they couldn't hold her accountable, since her mother had claimed it was an unwilling pregnancy.  
"Gryffindors; why do we have to share our lesson with _them_?" Draco ranted loud enough so that the other house could hear. A few of them shot the Slytherins dirty looks, including Pavarti Patil, who had not spoken to Daphne since the first night on the train; apparently, the reputation of Slytherin was not pleasant in the Gryffindor house.

 Madame Hooch now arrived. She had the scariest eyes Daphne had ever seen; like Millicent's cat! She was giving the instructions, but Daphne wasn't really paying attention. She was watching Pansy and Tracey twitter about something to do with Harry.  
"... wonder if he even remembers the event." Pansy whispered.  
"He was barely a year old! Do you have any memories from that age?" Tracey hissed. Daphne snickered at her remark, to which Pansy rolled her eyes.  
"Now, stick your right hand over your broom and say 'UP!'" Madame Hooch instructed. Daphne stumbled on the hem of her robe as she got into the correct position. All around her, students were yelling 'up' in various tones, at various volumes. Potter appeared to have gotten it on the first try. Malfoy got his shortly after. Daphne figured she would give it a go as well. She held out her hand over the broom.  
"UP!" Nothing happened. "UP!" she commanded again; nothing. Now getting a little frustrated (she did not want to have another class that she would do poorly in), she narrowed her eyes in determination "_UP!_"  
This time, the broom lifted from the ground and came an inch from her hand before it dropped back to the ground. The fact that the broom had even moved amazed her enough. Now, convinced that she could get the broom, she commanded it one more time, and at last, the broom obeyed her orders, and rose into her hand.  
"Good job, Daph." Tracey said, already holding her broom. She smiled in response, then turned back towards the lesson. Apparently now they were supposed to attempt to hover? Daphne, like the rest of the students, all followed their instructions... except Neville.

Before Daphne or any of the other Slytherins knew it, Neville Longbottom (who Daphne sat across from in Potions) was flying about the courtyard uncontrollably, and then had crashed into the wall. Madame Hooch left to take him to the hospital wing after he fell from at least 2 stories, and left all the students to mingle around on the lawn.

Then, something more interesting than talking amongst Gryffindors happened. Malfoy had picked up Neville's rememberall, and was now waving it about, slurring something that gave the Gryffindors a sour look on their faces. Pansy made a smart remark to a Gryffindor girl; it was Pavarti, who Daphne found she had no sympathy for anymore. Perhaps it was the fact that their attitudes had changed so much since they were sorted into different houses... or that they both really weren't meant to be close friends afterall...  
"Give it here, Malfoy" Potter demanded. Daphne exchange sideways glances with Tracey and Pansy, both of whom now held a similar expression of cheek.  
"Thinks himself quite the hero eh?" Pansy hissed to the other Slytherin girls. Daphne smirked and resumed watching the action; now both boys were on their brooms and flying about!  
"Draco's likely to get himself expelled at this rate..." Tracey muttered under her breath. Daphne noticed Theodore smirk a little at that thought, then whisper something to Blaise that she couldn't hear.

Daphne watched with the other classmates as Harry and Malfoy chased each other for a few moments, Malfoy teasing him with the Crystal ball cockily. As surprised as she was by Harry's flying abilities, she was more surprised that he went after the ball when Malfoy threw it. While everyone was watching Harry go after the rememberall, only Daphne and Theodore seemed to notice that Draco had snaked himself back over into the crowd immediately after; Daphne soon saw why. As soon as Harry landed, McGonagall was outside shouting his name angrily.  
"What did I tell you; expelled within 2 weeks." Pansy boasted, smiling with approval at Draco.  
"I believe the original prediction was 'tomorrow'." Daphne smiled mischievously.  
"Details details. Point is, now he's gone."

By dinner that evening, they had all been proven wrong.

"Potter wasn't expelled!" Blaise exclaimed, having just overheard some Weasley offspring chatting with the Gryffindor Captain. "Worse yet; he's been made _seeker_!"  
"For what!?" Pansy exclaimed  
"Gryffindor! What did you think? _Romania_?" Blaise rolled his eyes.  
"Impossible! How does he get to be an exception to the rules?" Draco growled angrily "Just wait until my father hears about this sort of favouritism... he should have been expelled, as any other student would have been."  
Daphne had nothing really to say at this point. In her head, however, she noted that Draco was very determined to be rid of Harry Potter as soon as possible. If it hadn't been Potter, Daphne may have thought he was jealous of him. But because she knew that they were practically _bred_ as enemies (Draco, at least), she knew that it was only natural.  
"It's only going to inflate his head even more now." Tracey said dully, spooning herself a large portion of mashed potatoes. "Now we'll never hear the end of it." she said in a more hushed voice, referring to Draco's rants that were sure to continue for weeks.

For the remainder of her first year, Daphne had taken less and less notice of Draco and his schemes to get Potter or his friends expelled. They had become so regular that it was hard to keep up with whatever new plan their was. In the mean time, Daphne, Tracey, and Theodore had become closer, forming their own separate trio outside of the main Slytherin gang of their year. Blaise occasionally joined them as well, although he was more often found in the company of Draco, who drew the most attention from other students. Whenever Daphne wanted to be free of the endless chatter about Potter, or escape Pansy's swooning over Draco, she always knew that she could retreat to Tracey and Theodore, who felt the same way.

For a while, the two groups drifted apart, only reuniting at meals and in classes; time spent in the dorms were spent separate, chatting at opposite ends of the common room. They had never had any quarrels between them; they just all split momentarily to confide with those who they trusted most.

But one particular day, Daphne was alone in the common room rather late. Staying up to study for exams early (and attempting to escape Millicent's snoring), she had been reading for hours; it was now very early in the morning, when the portrait entrance swung open, and a very shaken, distraught Draco came in.  
"What have you been doing out so late?" she asked lightly, almost assuming the answer before she even asked. Surely, he was out trying to foil Potter again. When he didn't reply right away, and instead came and stared into the fire. "Draco? Are you alright?"  
"Of course I'm alright." He snapped, glaring at her sideways as he stared at the fire. Daphne nodded her head stiffly and continued to read. She had barely finished another line when he spoke again. "I was just in detention."  
"Really? I hear Filch is awful. Did he really hang you from your thumbs?" she asked, setting her book on the table.  
"I didn't have it with Filch... I had it with that giant who lives in the hut... Hagar or something... had me hiking around in the Forbidden Forest, looking for some dead unicorn! And then I almost get attacked by something that was _drinking_ its blood!" he ranted, waving his arms about, as if to show how much anger he had about the situation.  
"What would be drinking a unicorn's blood?" she started, mystified by his story. "And since when do they send students into the Forest?"  
"That's what I said! Surely they have some... servants or house elves or something that could do the job! No, instead they send _me_! Just _wait _until my father hears about this..."  
"Wow... you're lucky to have lived." She said quietly. Draco returned to staring at the fireplace intently; Daphne wondered if she should ask her next question, and when he didn't say anything for almost a minute, she gathered to courage to ask.  
"Were you scared?"  
Draco's head instantly snapped around to face her, with an expression that could only be read as anger or disgust. "I was not _scared_! How could I be _scared_?!"  
"I don't know... you sounded like you were from the way you-"  
"Well, I wasn't!" he snapped again, eyes narrowed.  
"I wouldn't make fun of you if you were... I would have been scared if it were me." she explained quietly, now regretting that she even brought it up; she knew he would react like this.  
"Well, it's a good thing I'm not _you_!" he spat.

Daphne said nothing at first, only stared at her hands folded in her lap now. It was a position of obedience that she had learned at home; sit quietly and don't make eye contact, and soon it will all be over... When she looked up at last, he was still glaring angrily at her. Although she wouldn't tell him (for fear of the same reaction), she knew that he had to have been scared... otherwise, he wouldn't have exploded over it like that. But Daphne had already caught the hint that this conversation was clearly over. She held eye contact for a moment, and then she stood slowly, picking up her book from the table and closing it silently.  
"I guess it is." She agreed, nodding her head with an emotionless face, and then turned to walk back to the dorms. She kept her back to him until she reached the doors that led to the girls rooms; here, she glanced back at Draco, who was indeed still watching her. When he saw her turn back, he indignantly turned his gaze back to the fire. Daphne, once again put in her place, continued to her dorm.

It felt like only weeks ago that she arrived at Hogwarts, but Daphne's first year was quickly coming to a close. The end-of-year feast had been a total put-up job, and Gryffindor won by 10 points, which of course put Draco in such a temper for the entire train ride home that Daphne felt that trying to speak would not be a wise idea.

 "I can't believe it!" Draco started as soon as it was silent in the car from the last rant. "Dumbledore has proven my point entirely; _everyone_ favours Potter, and he gets special treatment! I mean, those points were completely ridiculous!" he said, pausing to buy some candy off the trolley outside, as did the others. Daphne took the opportunity to exchange dismal looks to Tracey as soon as he started again. "160 points to those _three_... the Potter Trio! And then, as if to _really_ slap us in the face, he gives _Neville _10 points... he may as well have given him 1 point; it would have had the same effect!"  
"There there Draco." Pansy soothed, patting his knee gently. Draco still crossed his arms like the child he was. "What can we do now, aside from try harder next year to keep them out of the running."  
"I can tell my father, that's what! He's on the Board of Governors at Hogwarts; surely _he_ can get all this Potter love out of the system." He said proudly, as he always did when talking about his father.  
"Surely." Daphne heard slip from her lips. She closed them quickly and glanced out the window, hoping that by avoiding eye contact, she would avoid another blow up. Draco, to her relief, said nothing; he just continued his little rant about Potter for a few minutes more, and then Blaise at last changed the subject to summer plans.  
"I'll be in France again, visiting my mother's new fiancée that she's picked up." Blaise explained, giving Draco a sideways glare before he could say anything about his mother.  
"I'm going on holidays to Scotland and Germany, visiting relatives." Pansy said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.  
"I'm staying home to rot in boredom." Theodore grumbled.  
"Same here." Tracey piped in between bites of her liquorice wand.  
"It's how I've spent every other summer, so I guess I'm in the same boat." Daphne agreed.  
"I have to stay home and spend time with my mother... she's apparently been worried sick all year about me. This means she's going to buy me _more_ clothes or something..." Draco grumbled stared out the window absently  
"Why can't I have your mother?" Daphne said under her breath as she opened her chocolate frog. Draco looked at her, eyes slightly narrowed, but he didn't say anything. "I wish someone would buy me lots of clothes." She added. This apparently cleared up whatever he was thinking she meant, and he turned his attention out the window.  
"We're back in London." He stated, watching the houses and shops fly by the window. In understood silence, they all stood and grabbed their trunks. Once the train had stopped at Kings Cross, they all shoved their way out into the halls, stopping anyone else from leaving the train before them. _Serves them right... to think that they foiled our house something as stupid as the House Cup... _Daphne thought as she sneered at Hannah Abbot and her little friends, all glaring at the Slytherins.

As soon as Daphne stepped off the train, she scanned the platform for the familiar face of her father. At first, she thought she saw him, but then realized that her father's hair was not long and white blonde; that was Draco's father, who was waiting patiently for his son to lug his trunk over to him. With mixed emotions, Daphne realized that her father was standing beside Lucius, waiting in a similar manor.  
"There you are Daphne. How was the train ride home?" Lennox asked in his low, earth-shaking voice, taking the trunk from his daughter. She only shrugged in response; she now tuned in to what Draco was saying to Lucius.  
"... It was a complete set up!" he whined, but his father seemed to not be paying attention.  
"Draco, can we discuss this later? You're drawing attention to yourself, and subsequently me." Lucius said in a tone that can only be described as high-and-mighty.

Draco pursed his lips a little at being shut down so quick, but recovered quickly when he noticed Daphne standing near. "Well, say good-bye to Miss Greengrass. I presume you two got along well?" Lucius told his son, nudging him in the back with his cane. Draco said nothing at first; just continued to look at her with a firm expression. She knew that he was still touchy about the night she had thought he was scared. They had yet to bring it up again (or even have a proper conversation alone) since that night, and Daphne wasn't sure what she could say in response to Lucius's question, since Draco wasn't making an effort to.  
"Of course" Daphne smiled, still looking Draco in the eyes "Have a nice summer Draco." She said lightly, holding her hand out for him to shake. He looked at her oddly for a moment, like he was trying to assess the trap. Then, he smirked like he had overpowered her or something, he took her hand firmly and shook it.  
"You too." He said simply before he dropped her hand and turned to his father "I'm hungry. Can we stop at a pub somewhere to get food?"  
Lucius rolled his eyes and ignored him. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lennox."  
"10am, as usual." Daphne's father replied, a small chuckle at the end.  
"It was very pleasant meeting you..." Lucius trailed off, as if trying to remember something.  
"Daphne." She said pleasantly. Lucius only nodded shortly, and then turned sharply, giving his son a small nudge in the direction he was to walk.

"Well Daphne, we'd better be off too. Your mother wants you home so she can give your clothes a proper cleaning before Grandma and Grandpa get here." Lennox said, placing his arm around his daughters shoulder.  
_Great... another summer spent listening to those old farts talk about how beautiful Astoria is, and how I ought to take better care of myself... _Daphne thought, only letting a small groan escape her as she followed her father.

_**AN: That's it for year 1. Hopefully I'll have year 2 up soon-ish... I'm not really in a big rush right now to write it since I have very little spare time right now... but I'll get it up eventually.  
REVIEW!!**_


	3. Year 2

**_AN:_** _**I'm so sorry I've been taking so long to write this chapter!! I'm very busy with my summer job, and it's hard for me to get all the details right without re-reading all the chapters I need.  
I know that this all seems like a recap of the actual story, and it is. But unfortunately, I can't get into any of the really good details and events for another year or two. I promise I will start adding my own matieral as soon as I get all of the younger years out of the way first.  
And I'll try to update faster and more often  
And I'll try to make the chapters shorter. As I start adding more of my own events in, I'll be splitting the years up (to make it easier on you and myself)  
And I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters of events. I wish I did.**_

Year 2

Daphne stood on the far side of the platform, absently waving the train smoke out of her face. Tracey had told her that she would meet her here at 10:30, but now she was officially 15 minutes late. It wasn't difficult for Daphne to get her parents to dump her off (this time out front of Kings Cross; not even on the platform) on time, but Tracey she knew may have more problems... what with her mother and all that.  
_  
If she was going to be this late I would have offered for her to spend the night at my place... it would have saved me all this trouble... _she thought as she scanned up and down the platform for the 20th time. About 20 feet down, she could see the Patil twins climbing aboard the train, without so much as a second glance in her direction. Who would have thought that a year ago today, they were talking to her like she was their lifelong friend. She could also see Granger, pacing frantically up and down, watching the entrance intently, no doubt waiting for her partners in crime. _God, could her hair be any bigger? Or does she just brush it to look like that? _Daphne quipped in her head, but said nothing out loud; she only turned up her nose when she glanced her way and looked the other way.

Hundreds of students rushed passed her as if she didn't exist. Daphne was used to this sensation; she had dealt with it all summer when her grandparents were visiting. As predicted, they spent their entire vacation spoiling Astoria rotten, and giving Daphne only the odd kind, encouraging word... like 'Perhaps if you wore your hair like Astoria you may look a little prettier', as he Grandmother has so kindly put only last night. It wasn't that it bothered Daphne to be ignored or patronized by her grandparents; she really couldn't expect much more from a couple who had a daughter as beautiful as Medea to look twice at her less-than-equal daughter. It was the fact that Astoria relished in their attention, and took every opportunity to milk it for all that it was worth.  
_Ungrateful, selfish creature... she'll have quite a shock when she gets to Hogwarts and finds that not everything is handed to you on a silver platter..._

"So just for the record," a familiar, clearly panting voice said beside her "My mother is the biggest moron to ever wave a wand." Tracey breathed, putting her head between her knees and struggling to catch her breath.

"What happened? You're 15 minutes late!" Daphne flustered, confused as to why her friend was very nearly giving herself an asthma attack.

"My mother can't tell time, apparently. She and my dad were having a little tryst in a hotel room down in Piccadilly, and she forgot to check the clock." She managed between breaths

"Your mom and dad are still together?" Daphne read between the lines.

"Oh yes, very much so. He's worn the paint off the fence from climbing over every night. But she still denies knowing who my father is... she's a horrible liar." She took a deep breath and stood up straight again. "Needless to say, running around on the subway, dragging a trunk behind you isn't as easy as it looks."

"I never thought it was." Daphne laughed as she picked up her own trunk. "Well, now we're guaranteed to get a horrible car, but let's at least get on the train." She suggested, glancing at the clock; it was now 5 minutes to 11, and Hermione was now looking even more desperate as she paced. "Looks 2/3's of the Potter Trio are still missing." She nudged her head in Hermione's direction. Tracey smirked smartly as she gave the girl a mischievous glance.

"Now she'll worry even more. The seeds of suspicion grow twice as fast on their own, especially in a head like hers!" Tracey laughed, pushing a first year out of her way as she found the first empty car. Daphne gave the same first year a dark glare before she closed the door behind them, leaving Daphne and Tracey alone to chat at last.

Their peace, however, was short lived; within a matter of seconds of the door closing, two more familiar figures joined them.  
"First Years... they're like a plague! Everywhere you look, there's more!" Blaise grumbled as he pushed one out of the doorway, inviting himself in and taking a seat beside Tracey.

Theodore followed shortly after, dragging his trunk over the same first year that Blaise had pushed, who was now lying on the floor. "Were we this bad last year?" he asked smartly. Daphne only shook her head to Tracey, who was giggling at the boys' entrance.

"So your summer was eventful, eh Theodore?" Tracey piped up once he took a seat beside Daphne. He gave her a sour expression and slouched down in his seat.

"Well, I knew someone would be the first to bring it up, but I never expected it from you..." he grumbled, closing the door beside him and crossing his arms lazily "Yes, my father had yet another trial with the Ministry, and yes, he was accused of killing my mother, and yes, once again there was a lack of evidence, and the case was thrown out... again."

"Sounds like fun..." Daphne mumbled, glancing out the window. At the last second, she saw Hermione jump onto the train. _Wonder if the others were ahead of her..._

"Oh yes, like a good Quidditch Game..." Theodore grumbled, kicking his trunk open at his feet and pulling out some cookies "Anyone want some homemade pumpkin cookies?"

"I'll take some." Daphne offered, remembering that she hadn't eaten since last night.

"Before you ask, my grandmother made them." He told her as he handed her 2 giant cookies and taking a bite of his own.

"Well, we didn't think your father made them." Blaise laughed. Theodore narrowed his eyes at him and continued to eat. "How was your summer Daphne?"

"Horrid. You?" she replied shortly once she finished chewing.

"Same. Mother's new fiancée is awful; reminds me of Snape the way he talks..."

"Gross. Your mother is sleeping with Snape." Tracey teased.

"I wouldn't put it past her..." Blaise mumbled. "I don't suppose your summer was eventful either?"

"Nah, nothing special. Just wandering about London with nothing to do." She yawned "I'm tired after all that running about London." The boys asked her what she meant, and she re-told the story, this time with the detail that she had left her mother at the hotel, and had traveled all the way to the station on her own.

"You poor devil; wish my mother would let me travel 10 feet without her being there fretting over me..." Blaise laughed.

"Wonder where the others are." Theodore said at last, looking out the glass into the hallway.

"Since when do _you_ care about where Draco is?" Daphne teased, nudging him in the side. He rolled his eyes and glanced at Blaise before he spoke.

"I would just like to get our grief out of the way now, rather than later..." he stated, referring to their problems with their parents.  
  
"Well, I'm sure we'll hear all about it at dinner tonight. And it's not like we don't already know what he's going to say; 'Has your mother married another sod again?' or 'Father in Azkaban yet?'" Blaise shrugged.

"And it's not like it's anything new..." Theodore added, now looking at Daphne "Did you see him at all in the summer?"

"Uh, no... I never see him outside of school. From what my father says, he's never allowed out of his house unless he's with his mother... she's really overprotective, I guess." Daphne shrugged.

"I would feel sorry for him if only I knew he didn't adore it." Blaise smirked. They all giggled quietly as if worried that he may have overheard them.

Dinner was nowhere near as excited as it had been the year before; while the new crop of first years were being sorted into their new houses, the 2nd year Slytherins were already settling back into their old routines.  
"Of course, I'm trying out next week for the seeker position... I think I have a fair chance of getting it." Draco bragged to Pansy and Blaise (the latter of whom was not amused).

"What makes you so sure you'll get it?" Blaise asked casually, but his dark face showed another emotion.

"Oh, I've had a few conversations with the Captain over the summer... he seems to think that I have a good shot." Draco looked down the table at Marcus Flint, who nodded his head to him. Draco how turned back to Blaise with a smug smile "Why, were you going to try out?"

"No, I don't think so." Blaise said gruffly as he turned back to his food. He leaned in closer to Theodore, who was sitting beside him. "No point now if he's bought his position with Flint." Daphne, who was sitting on the other side of Theodore, overheard this.

"Wonder how he did that..." she said in a low voice. Blaise shrugged, and then turned back to Draco to discus something else. "Were you going to try out?" Daphne asked Theodore.

"Not likely. I don't have the speed or coordination to fly around on a broom, chasing a little ball." He scoffed.

"Sounds like you don't like Quidditch." Daphne pointed out, pouring herself more pumpkin juice. Theodore sniffed a small laugh.

"Not when it's run by Flint." He responded "Now there's a bloke with rocks for brains."

Daphne laughed and took a sip of her drink, turning her head towards the sorting ceremony at the front of the hall. They were now on one of the last names; a girl with red hair was now walking up to the stool and the hat was plopped on her head. A moment later, the hat yelled out 'Gryffindor', much to Draco's lack of surprise.

"My father had a little fight with that girls father a few days ago." He was retelling Pansy, who as usual seemed completely hypnotized by him "Told him what everyone already knows, but of course the lunatic blew up and starting attacking my father! Of course, he put him back in his place again."

"Who is that anyways?" Tracey asked, now finished chatting with Millicent.

"She's a Weasley." He sneered in the direction of the Gryffindor table "Jenny or something. Not that it matters anyways... they're _all _disgraceful."

The others didn't say much in response; only murmured responses that sounded like yes. Draco seemed to be the only one who cared about the Weasleys in the school, aside from Potter and Granger. Theodore rolled his eyes when he looked at Daphne. "It's like we never left..." he added before draining the last of his juice, just in time for Dumbledore to make yet another speech...

Nothing excited seemed to happen for the first few days of school. Draco had, as expected, received the position of seeker, and as Daphne, Theodore, and Tracey sat around the common room, he was at his first practice.  
"I'm not sure why you had to get us up at the crack of dawn, Tracey... it's not like there's going to be a test on the second day of potions..." Theodore yawned.

"Shut it. I asked you two to help me because I almost failed last year, and I can't have a repeat!" she complained, dropping her notebooks on the table and opening them to the first blank page.

"Well, I can understand why you would ask him," Daphne nodded her head to Theodore "But _I_ almost failed potions as well. There really is no reason why you dragged me up this early."

"I figured you could benefit from Theodore's expertise as well as I could." She smirked, taking her quill out and writing something down. Daphne narrowed her eyes a little and then leaned her head onto the table.

"Thanks for your concern, but I think I'll just listen..." she yawned, setting her head on the table and closing her eyes. Tracey hit her in the head with her quill.

"No! You have to pay attention! You're going to have to help me too!"

"Do you want me to teach you _both_?" Theodore asked, rubbing his temple slowly "Look, I'm not Snape or anything, but that potion yesterday really wasn't _that_ difficult."

"Easy for you to say! Your father's really good at potions!" Tracey quipped.

Theodore raised one of his eyebrows quizzically. "Yes, because after all, if you're accused of poisoning your wife, you must be pretty good at making potions, right?"

An awkward silence fell between them all. Daphne looked at Tracey with a 'see-what-you-did' look on her face, and then turned to Theodore. "That's not at all what she was saying." She apologized for her, nudging her friend with her knee under the table.

"No, not at all." She said quietly. "My mother tells me that-"

"It's fine. Don't worry about it." Theodore said dismissively and then picked up his quill. He paused for a moment and then let out a small laugh. "I wonder how Draco is doing at his first practice."

"You really don't like him." Tracey giggled, apparently feeling a little more comfortable with this conversation then the last one.

"You say that every time he brings up Draco." Daphne pointed out "But the way you talk about him does give that impression." She told Theodore. He only shrugged and started to write something on the top of his parchment.

"And I tell her the same thing every time; think what you want." He smirked without looked up from his writing. Daphne and Tracey exchanged glances before they too started to copy what they could read off of his page.

About 20 minutes later, a crowd of people wearing matching emerald green robes entered the common room, laughing amongst themselves.  
"...can't imagine what that must taste like..." Flint was overheard over the others.  
Theodore rolled his eyes and sat up from writing. "Well, how was it Draco?"

"Amazing! I mean, before we even got near the pitch, I already had the best day this year." He said, setting his broom down beside Daphne "Weasley got all in a tiff because I called Granger a mudblood and tried to cast some slug curse on me, but it backfired!" he let out a laugh again at his memory "He was puking up slugs like crazy! Potter and Granger carted him off somewhere, still puking slugs!"

"Probably a gourmet meal compared to what he normally eats at home." Tracey smiled, laughing at the thought as well. Daphne laughed even harder at Tracey's comment, and Theodore gave an amused smile and small laugh under his breath.

"Good one Tracey." Draco remarked, taking off his gloves and throwing them onto the table "And, of course, practice was fun too. I didn't get to do much this time because they were running through all the plays for me."

"Sounds like fun." Theodore said rather unenthusiastically. Draco either didn't hear that, or he ignored him.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked, picking up Daphne's parchment.

"Tracey wanted some help with potions" Daphne explained, much to Tracey's dismay.

"What can I say; apparently I've got the intelligence of a toadstool when it comes to potions." She grumbled.

"You've spelt aconite wrong." Draco pointed out to Daphne as he put her page back on the table.

She let out a small, frustrated sigh."Perhaps if someone didn't get me up at the crack of dawn, my head might be working properly..." she mumbled as she crossed her original spelling with her quill. She paused for a minute, staring at the page as she tried to remember how to actually spell the word.

"It's 'nite', not 'night'" Draco added as he bent down to pick up his broom. Daphne turned to thank him, but was struck by something different first; she had yet to properly take in what Draco was wearing.  
_He looks quite good in green..._ she thought hazily. She shook her head slightly to clear her brain of the strange feeling that was washing over her.

"Right! Of course! How, uh, stupid of me." She rambled. Draco gave her an odd look before he continued on his way, waving his hand good bye lazily as he passed them.

Tracey looked over at Daphne with a smirk of knowing, which Daphne ignored by making the correction Draco had made for her. _What was that? He wears green practically every day! What's the difference today? _She scolded herself _Unless it was those pants... _she physically shook her head at this thought and continued to copy off Theodore, who had also returned to working. Tracey only let out a small giggle at her friends antics.

A few weeks later, the Halloween feast was well underway. Daphne and Blaise were levitating bits of pumpkin with the mashed up innards hidden inside, and dropping them on unsuspecting Ravenclaw heads.  
"I'm glad I have some use for pumpkin now; I've always hated the stuff!" Daphne giggled under her breath as her and Blaise pretended to be ignorant of the piece that had just landed on Penelope Clearwater's head.

"You would think that the school would attempt to feed us something that is actually _edible_, not a squash that ought to be left as a centre piece." Blaise responded as he waved his wave under the table, levitating another piece of pumpkin over towards the table. Now the students were becoming more wary of it, and were watching it carefully as it floated. Blaise dropped a piece on Terry Boot's fork right as he was scooping a piece of pie into his mouth. He made a sour face as soon as it touched his tongue, and began to cough and sputter in horror. Daphne and Blaise had trouble controlling themselves, trying to hide behind the large pile of candy corn.

"Too bad you couldn't get it to float all the way to the Gryffindors." Draco mused lightly, pouring himself another glass of pumpkin juice.

"It's not that we can't," Daphne pointed out "It's that it would be nearly impossible to get it that far and _unnoticed_."

"And the last thing we would want is to get in trouble... not to mention spoil our form on entertainment, eh Daphne?" Blaise added, poking her lightly in the side with his wand. Draco only shook his head patronizingly.

"Well, I think we should be heading back." Tracey announced to Daphne, rolling her eyes as Pansy howled with laughter "I've had enough of her endless chatter for one night..." she said under her breath to her. Daphne laughed and agreed, standing from the table.

"Looks like everyone has your idea, Tracey." Blaise chimed in, motioning to the entire Great Hall that was now standing and preparing to leave.

"Damn. I wanted to beat the rush and get first crack at the washroom." Tracey grumbled as she swung her feet over the bench.

"Why don't you wait until midnight?" Daphne suggested, taking her friends arm and walking with her down the aisle. "That's when I go; no one's ever there, and you can spend as much time as you want."

"And what on earth would you need to be in the washroom for 'as long as you want'?" Theodore teased, possibly the first word he'd said all night.

"Oh, well we obviously gossip about all of _you_." Tracey said dramatically.

"Really? I had no idea we were all so interesting." He replied smartly, smirking at the two girls.

"Well, maybe not _you_" Daphne smiled knowingly, glancing in Pansy's direction "But there are others who have more than enough dirt on them to keep us in a bathroom until dawn!" Tracey squealed with laughter at this comment and rushed ahead with Daphne and Theodore just as Pansy turned to ask what they were laughing about.

As the Slytherin house followed the Ravenclaws down the corridor, there was a large crowd gathering in front of a wall. An ominous buzz of whispers soon accompanied it.  
"What's going on?" Pansy asked from behind them. Neither Tracey nor Daphne answered her. They were now in sight of what everyone was looking at. Ahead, written in what looked like blood, was a cryptic message that had all the students stopped dead in their tracks.

"'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware?'" Draco read aloud. Then he made gave a quick, cold glance at the other students "You'll be next, mudbloods!"

Theodore groaned a little at his antics, but remained completely enwrapped in what was on the wall (not to mention the cat hanging beside it, which Daphne had jump a little upon spotting) "Who do you suppose did this?" he whispered to Daphne and Tracey. Tracey only shrugged, but after a moment, Daphne responded.

"It can't be any of us," she said, referring to their group of Second years "We were all at dinner, and this had to have been done while everyone was in eating."

At that moment, Argus Filch came hobbling forward, and began to scream and shout at Harry about killing his cat. Up until then, Daphne hadn't even seen him at the front of the crowd, accompanied by his usual partners in crime. Before she could move closer to hear what was going on, they were rushed off by the prefects.  
"Did you see that? Potter killed Filch's cat!" Blaise said in a slightly amazed tone.

"I never thought he had it in him." Millicent added, looking cautiously behind them at the rest of the house that followed. "Wonder what they'll do to him now?"

"He has to be expelled this time. How can you kill a cat and _not_ be expelled?" Draco sniffed. "And even if he isn't, I'll be sure to write to my father about all of this tonight... The Chamber of Secrets; I've never heard of it."

"Then why did you say that back there?" Tracey asked defiantly. He shot her a sour look, but kept the same pace as he walked with the other students.

"Because I felt like it." He sneered.

Daphne looked sideways at Theodore, who was rolling his eyes. "Of course you would..." he muttered under his breath.

That night, as they were all getting ready for bed, Snape had called the entire house down to the common room to discuss 'the importance of this matter, and how it was not to be joked about'. He told them that if he found out that anyone in his house had done this as a prank, they would be expelled immediately, no matter who they were. He didn't mention what would happen if someone in the house had actually done in it cold blood.  
"Who do you think it is?" Pansy asked the girls as they climbed into their beds after the meeting.

"It can't be any of us; we were all at dinner." Daphne pointed out for the second time.

"Do you think it actually was Potter?" Millicent asked, fixing the covers on her bed.

"I doubt it; Saint Potter would have to convince Granger and Weasley to go in on it too. Weasley I can see agreeing, but Granger? She'd die before she broke a rule." Pansy said spitefully.

"Well, according to Draco, she may be dead soon." Daphne said as she pulled her covers over her shoulders "He said that the mudbloods are next, and I can't think of another mudblood to start with but her."

"You have a good point..." Pansy said lightly "Well, goodnight everyone." She announced as she turned out all the lights in the room. Daphne sank down lower into her bed, and into another long night of listening to Millicent snore...

The next few weeks flashed by in a blur of rumours and school activities. Slytherin had lost their first Quidditch, despite all of Draco's bragging about how good he was doing in practice (which pleased Theodore beyond belief to see him proved wrong).  
There was also a duelling club starting, which Theodore had insisted that Daphne and Tracey sign up for. He told them that his father has always told him that 'magic is no use if you don't know how to use it against a threat.'  
"Yes, but it's not like we're going to battling a burglar or anyone soon." Tracey pointed out as she scrawled her name bellow Daphne's on the list "But it can't hurt to know how to hex someone if I ever get bored."

"All those men coming to visit your mother?" Pansy said smartly as she pushed past Tracey to sign her own name on the list. "Surely we wouldn't want a repeat of what happened before. The last thing we would want is for you to have a sibling." And then she turned and walked back over to Millicent, who was waiting for her on the couch.

"What was that about?" Daphne asked, watching as Pansy walked away.

"Oh, I may have told her that her perfume smelled like the contents of a sewer system on a hot summer day." Tracey smirked, apparently un-phased by what her housemate had just said about her mother.

"Ouch. Remind me to never get on your bad side." Daphne giggled.

The night of the Duel Club had all the students with such high energy that they all paced and fidgeting anxiously all through their final lessons. The Slytherin's had all walked down together as a house to the Great Hall, where they were met with many glares and sneers from other houses. Draco only handed it right back to them, and had Crabbe and Goyle shove the odd person out of the way for no reason. As Lockhart was jabbering on about duelling and safety, Daphne was looking at Draco. He was standing proudly beside Snape, evidently trying to impress him with either his height of his posture. When Lockhart announced that Snape was indeed his assistant, he grudgingly took his place on the stage. They then took their places at opposite ends and began to demonstrate duelling. Theodore watched with amazement and curiosity that he hardly heard Pansy push between him and Daphne.  
"He is quite attractive, isn't he?" she said dreamily.

"I'm assuming you mean Lockhart?" she said with one raised eyebrow. Pansy giggled lightly and blushed lightly.

"Well, I certainly didn't mean Snape!" she said quietly "But I was also thinking Draco." She said, changing the direction of the conversation. Pansy now looked at Daphne like she was appraising her. "Don't you think he's quite good looking?"

"Oh, well yes." Daphne flustered a little, but managed to pass it off with a small giggle "I'm not sure how anyone could say that he isn't attractive."

"I know exactly what you mean." She purred like a cat. "Do you think we'd make a good match?"

Daphne wasn't sure how to respond. She was thankfully saved by Draco and Potter being partnered across the room. Snape made his way around, matching students up with whomever he chose. Pansy had been paired up with Crabbed, and Tracey with Goyle. Daphne had someone lucked out and had been partnered with Blaise. They had missed all the commotion between Draco and Harry, as well as Millicent and Hermione, because they were too preoccupied with whatever spell Blaise had hit Daphne with.

"Why did you cast _this _spell!?" she demanded, unable to move because her legs were locked together. She teetered dangerously, gripping Tracey's shoulder as she started to fall. Blaise was laughing, trying to counteract the jinx, but he couldn't concentrate. Lockhart eventually came over and unlocked Daphne's legs. "Just you wait, Zabini" she threatened emptily.

Now there was something else going on; a snake was slithering towards Harry. Then, above all the whispers and gasps of the other students, came a loud hissing noise. When Daphne looked for the source, she saw that it was Potter himself!  
"Are you seeing this?" she asked Pansy, who was staring at him as well. She only nodded her head in a daze, amazed by what the snake was doing; was Potter actually _commanding_ it?

"Weird. I didn't know people could talk to snakes." Pansy said quietly after Snape had gotten rid of the reptile that Draco had created. Now some Hufflepuff was shouting something and storming out of the hall, and Ron was dragging Harry out by his robes.

"What was that?" Daphne asked.

"Interesting, that's what." Pansy said a little louder

By the next night, the rumours that the same Hufflepuff boy had been found petrified had given Pansy more glee than any other piece of gossip had the entire year. All the next day, she made sure that everyone that passed heard her as she talked about Harry.  
"He uses snakes to control muggles all the time... I heard that he was kicked out of three villages already because of it!"  
Pretty soon, Daphne and Tracey were taking part as well, making sure that everyone heard their tales about Harry's collection of snakes under his bed, or how he was secretly building up an army of reptiles that could only be rivalled by You-Know-Who's.

"I dare say we should feel horrible about all this crap we've been saying." Tracey smirked as she finished packing her trunk a few days later. Daphne sighed lightly as she jumped onto her own bed and watched her pack.

"What do you care? You get to go away from it all for 2 weeks! I'm stuck here to rot with no one but Millicent and her snoring!" she whined.

"But you still have Theodore, Crabbe, and Goyle... and more importantly, Draco." Tracey smiled mischievously.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, propping her face on her knuckles. Tracey smiled like a cat and sat on her bed across from her.

"You mean to tell me that your gawking and staring at him all this year hasn't been because you fancy him?" she teased. Daphne opened her mouth to protest, but found that only a laugh escaped.  
_Me? Like Draco? That's not what it is... Sure, I've caught myself staring at him too in class or at dinner, but it's not like I'm in love with him! _She reassured herself.

"You think you can fool me?" Tracey added, tossing her pillow at her "Theodore see's it too!"

"How is it that you all see it, when I have no idea what you're talking about!?" she protested, but still felt her cheeks blushing an unmistakable shade of scarlet.

"Millicent and Blaise agree too. Everyone see's it except you... and Draco and Pansy, thankfully; the last thing you want it to have _her_ on your case about it!"

"I still have no idea what you're talking about. I don't fancy Draco... I just _think_ he's attractive!" she defended, turning away from her.

"Sure. We'll see if you feel the same way after Christmas holidays." She concluded, now crossing the room to bid her good-bye. "I hope you have fun! Surely your parents will bring you back a nice gift from France."

"I doubt it. My Grandmother is sick; it's not really a holiday for anyone, except perhaps Astoria." Daphne reminded her. Tracey only nodded, and then said her good-bye's again, before she headed out of the dorm to join the other students that were lucky enough to be going home...

Never had Daphne been so bored in all her life; there was nothing to do day after day except sit around and chat with the same people... over and over.  
"I'm glad you're having fun, Daphne." Theodore remarked sarcastically as he was talking to Draco. Daphne hadn't noticed that she had completely turned her attention away from the conversation, and was now staring longingly at the Christmas tree set up in the corner.

"Sorry..." she said quietly, turning back to the conversation slowly. It was Christmas day, and she was surprised that she was missing her home and family so much. Normally, her father would have a giant family gift ready and waiting for them to open by this time. Last year, it had been a new radio, which Astoria adored to no end. _No doubt this year's gift was taking her to France and leaving me here... save my parents the hassle of trying to keep us calm.  
_  
"We were just saying that the girls in our house seem to have their heads on the right way. No drama? No fights?" Draco inquired lazily, clearly distracted by the time.

"Uh, yeah... nothing big. I mean, Tracey and Pansy seem to exchange sharp words now and then, but that's because they're just opposite people." She explained, but Draco wasn't listening. "What are you looking for?"

"Crabbe and Goyle have been gone for at least half an hour!" he said with an annoyed tone of voice "It doesn't take this long to get to the Great Hall and back." He tapped his fingers impatiently on the leather arm chair.

"I thought they were grabbing more food?" Daphne asked

"Again..." Theodore mumbled.

"They are, but they've been gone far too long." Draco now stood from his chair "I'd better go see what they're up to. Last thing I need is them getting a detention and leaving me to do all my work on my own."

Theodore watched and waited until Draco had left the common room before he shook his head slowly "Merlin knows that he would surely parish if he didn't have Crabbe and Goyle around..." he now looked over at Daphne "Well, I have to say that this break has been quite boring, hasn't it?"

"Yes, beyond belief! I wish there was something exciting to do..." she sighed. They spent the next few minutes discussing what they could do for entertainment; hex some Gryffindors, put a potion in someone's drink at dinner, have a snowball fight out on the grounds. Daphne laughed with Theodore at everyone of his suggestions. Despite what everyone said, he wasn't nearly as sour as they claimed he was.

"Well, we could-" Theodore started, but was interrupted by Draco re-entering the common room with a very confused looking Crabbe and Goyle "Wonder if they were jinxed or something... they look thicker than ever." Theodore whispered. Daphne only shrugged and tried to listen carefully from across the room, trying to hear what they were saying. When she had no luck, she turned back to Theodore.

"Why aren't you home again?" she asked curiously.

"Father's too busy with the trial... again. And I think the last thing he wants if for them to call me up as a witness." He yawned "Apparently he thinks I'll betray him or something."

"He couldn't think that!" Daphne said" Maybe he's just worried that they'll pressure you into saying things that aren't true. My parents knew someone who was responsible for putting their uncle in Azkaban after the council tricked him into saying that-"

"Well, either way, I'm back here again for Christmas." He waved his hand to stop her from talking. She raised her eyebrows at his gesture, then glanced over towards Draco again. She still couldn't make out what they were saying, but she could tell that Crabbe and Goyle were acting very strange. Normally, they would lounge all over the couches and have their feet up on the table; now, they were sitting neatly and politely.

"They look like two old ladies now." Daphne nodded lightly at them. Theodore only flashed a small smile.

"I'm off to bed. See you tomorrow." He said suddenly before he left the common room, which was now deserted of everyone except her, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle.

For the next few minutes, she tried very hard to listen to what Draco was saying. Whatever it was, he looked about as annoyed with him as he was only minutes before. Finally, after another 10 minutes of mindless chatter (which Daphne was secretly trying to listen to), Crabbe and Goyle suddenly jumped up and ran out of the Slytherin Common room. Draco had stood to go after them, but changed him mind a moment later. He now turned around to see who else was here, and his eyes instantly fell on Daphne.  
"Well, uh, that was weird." Daphne flustered, embarrassed that she had been caught eavesdropping.

"Yeah, they were acting really odd... Crabbe said something about a stomach ache, but I've never seen a stomach ache make you jump at the strangest things, looking angry and offended..." he said, walking over and taking a seat in the chair opposite of her that had been occupied by Theodore "Where did he go?" he asked, taping the arm of the chair.

"He said he was tired and went to bed." She explained "So, what were you talking about over there?" she asked suddenly before she could stop herself. Draco looked at her oddly too for a moment.

"You mean you weren't listening?" he asked, his eyebrows raised questioningly. She shook her head, feeling her face turn a light scarlet again. "Oh, they were just asking me about that Chamber again... I told them yesterday, so I don't know why they would ask again... weird."

"Yeah... weird..." she said quietly. Once again, she caught herself staring at him; the fire had lit his white blonde hair up to make it glow like a halo.

"I do wish father would tell me more on the Chamber and this heir to Slytherin junk." He said, examining something from inside his pocket "He expects me to watch the school and report back anything that the Board of Governors would see has wrong, but he won't tell me what I'm looking for!" he sighed in frustration. "Did you get anything for Christmas?" he asked suddenly.

"Oh, uh, I got a new necklace." She smiled lightly as she pulled it out of her shirt for him to see "Silver with a nice snake charm at the bottom." She added. Draco leaned forward in his chair to see, and actually took it from her hand to see it in the light.

"Nice quality too. And very Slytherin." He added, nodding his head in approval. "Father sent me a family ring" he said, holding out his hand for her to see "He tells me that it was my Great Grandfathers, and that it's been in our family for generations." He explained proudly. Daphne now leaned forward to catch the ring in the light of the fire. There was a family crescent carved in silver, inlaid in what was most likely emerald.

"Our parents were apparently thinking the same thing this year." Daphne remarked. Draco said nothing, apparently distracted by the time again.

"Well, I'm going to bed. If there's nothing to do around here, then I may as well sleep through the rest of the holiday." He announced and got up and left the room. Daphne nodded in agreement as he passed her, but she stayed a moment longer to watch the fire. After sitting in silence with no one else in the room but her, she too decided to go to bed.

As she was crossing the room, the portrait door opened, and in stumbled Crabbe and Goyle, looking very confused, and appeared to have messed up their clothes. Daphne looked at them with the strangest expression she could muster. They caught her looking and scurried off towards the boys dorms without saying another word.  
_Interesting... wonder what they were up to..._

The rest of the year was filled with gossip, drama, and one near-closer threat after another. In June, the Weasley girl was taken into the chamber by a giant snake, which turned out to be under the control of Voldermort, who's been dead for 11 year...  
"I know, it didn't make any sense to me either when I heard it." Theodore pointed out as he was explaining it to Daphne as they walked down to the Hogsmead train platform.

"So Voldermort came back to life? Or was he possessing the snake? I'm so confused." She said, shaking her hair loose of her hair tie "What a glorious day it is! It almost makes me want to go home; I can lay around in the sun all day long, without having to worry about Potions or Transfiguration!"

"Oh, please don't mention potions!" Tracey whined beside her "I can't believe I failed that exam, and you all thought it was so easy!"

"I offered to help you cheat, but _Theodore_ told us that we were sure to get caught." Daphne shrugged.

"And so you would have." He pointed out "You saw Snape stalking up and down the rows like an angry Banshee! He would have caught whatever juvenile attempt you had to cheat in an instant."

"Well it doesn't matter now! I've barely passed Potions, and my mother is sure to be furious with me!" Tracey complained again. Daphne and Theodore only exchanged expressions of annoyance, and decided it was best to leave that topic alone.

As they pushed their way onto the train, Daphne noticed something strange. "Is it just me, or is Pansy attached to Draco's hip lately?"  
  
"Where have you been!" Tracey laughed. "She's fancied him for ages! Now she's convinced that she can get him... Fat chance, I say! Even if he does take the bait, I doubt his father will agree."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Tracey." Theodore pointed out quietly "Lucius just got kicked off the Board of Governors at Hogwarts, I hear. But Pansy's father is still an active member. What better way to get your opinions and schemes still pulled off than through Parkinson?"

"Good point." Daphne nodded slowly. Up ahead was the open door where their housemates were sitting. In the distance, Draco could be heard complaining again.

"...Father has to go out and find another house elf! Until then , he says that I have to clean my room _myself_! Have you ever heard of such a thing!?"

"Why does this seem mildly familiar?" Theodore chuckled. Tracey smirked and skipped into the car with the others. Theodore waited a moment and held the door open for Daphne, who smiled sweetly at the gesture as she too joined her housemates for yet another train ride back, signifying the end to yet another year.

**_AN:_** _**Year 2 down... 5 more to go takes swig of coffee  
REVIEW!! I'd love to hear what you think :)  
Promise I'll try and update sooner and more often!!  
Thanks!!**_


	4. Year 3 Part 1

_**AN: **So this update was a little faster because I decided to split the year.  
Hope you enjoy it!  
I still don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters/events/plot._

**Year 3**

The morning of September 1st had been more chaotic than ever; everywhere Daphne stepped, there was someone pushing past her or shoving her out of the way... and she hadn't even left for the train station yet.  
"Has anyone seen Astoria's hair ribbon? The dark green one?" Medea called frantically from the living room, having torn open her daughter's trunk for the 3rd time today. Daphne rolled her eyes and glanced around the room lazily. Over in the corner, she could see Astoria's new cat toying with what looked like a long piece of string.

"Found it." Daphne called very unenthusiastically. Within seconds, her mother appeared in the doorway, looking to where Daphne was now pointing.

"Oh, this thing!" she huffed as she ran over and pulled the long ribbon from the cats mouth. The animal looked up with eyes like candles, narrowed and angry at Medea. "Astoria, I hope that you're going to train this..." she paused to crinkle her nose in mild distaste "_Thing_ to behave itself!"

"Mummy, she's just a kitten! She'll learn, won't you Pandora?" Astoria soothed as she picked up her Siamese cat and petted her gently. Daphne rolled her eyes and checked her watch.

"Can we go now?" she asked, but no one appeared to have heard her.

"Medea, Astoria wanted a cat, and this just happened to be the only cat they had." Lennox reminded his wife. He glanced over at Daphne and the similar animal sitting in her lap "Well, the last two that is."

"I don't understand why you had to buy _two_ of them in the first place! We only needed _one._" She narrowed her eyes at the cat that was sitting in Daphne's lap.

"They were on _sale,_ Medea. And besides, Daphne's marks were high enough to deserve a reward." Lennox nodded his head at Daphne, who stroked her cat again. Her cat was also a Siamese, and happened to be Pandora's sister (ironic to her father, but not so amusing to Daphne).

"Eris hasn't caused nearly as much trouble as the other one." Daphne mumbled as she stroked the back of her cat.

Astoria narrowed her eyes at her sister briefly "The _other one_ has a name!" she sniffed before she walked off, calling for something else from her parents.

Daphne sighed and looked at her watch again; 10am. "We really need to be going!" Daphne called, putting Eris in the wicker cage her father had bought his daughters. Medea appeared in the doorway after a few seconds of silence.

"Did you say something Daphne?" she asked, frustrated with the amount of packing and re-packing that had to be done.

"We're going to be late! No point in packing her up if she's going to miss the train." Daphne rolled her eyes. Medea now looked at the clock above the fireplace.

"Oh, we are going to be late! Lennox! We have to leave now!" she called shrilly. Daphne cringed at her mother's high pitched yell, but continued to drag her trunk towards the fireplace. Lennox appeared a few seconds later with his wife's coat and bag.

"Shall we then? Where's Astoria?" he asked in his low, booming voice. Astoria appeared a moment later, feeding Pandora a little milk from a glass. Medea sighed and gently asked her not to feed the animals from her good china.

"But Pandora was thirsty, and I didn't have the time to find another dish" Astoria said lightly, setting the glass of milk down on the end table. Medea smiled and turned to her husband, apparently dismissing the subject.  
_If that were me, I would have had to polish all the silver and clean the dishes for that..._ Daphne remarked in her head. She rolled her eyes at her sister's spoiled treatment.

"Can we leave now? I want a good seat on the train." Daphne groaned, watching her sister take her sweet time as she put her cat in her cage.

"You have to sit with Astoria on the train, Daphne" Lennox said as he passed the Floo powder jar over to his wife.

"What! No, I have my own friends to sit with!" Daphne complained, looking at her sister with contempt. _There is no way they are going to make me babysit her! _

"Daphne, that's not fair! How did you feel on your first day?" Medea scolded, putting her arm around Astoria's shoulder as she handed her the jar of Floo Powder next.

"I met people and sat with other first years, like you're _supposed_ to!" Daphne pointed out in a low tone. Medea looked at her husband for back-up.

"Daphne, your sister isn't as outgoing as you-"

"Are you joking!? She's twice as outgoing as me! She'll be fine!" Daphne shook her head in disbelief. "I won't be babysitting her all year, so she may as well get used to it now." She added, taking a step towards the fireplace. Her father put his arm out to block her way.

"Don't get smart with us, Daphne. We are just asking you to watch out for your little sister on the way to the school." He said in a low voice, clearly struggling to be calm. Daphne crossed her arms angrily and looked at her sister, eyes narrowed. Unlike her parents, she knew how her sister would act on the train; she would be obnoxious and try to embarrass Daphne as much as possible to attempt to like witty or cute in front of her friends.

"She'll be fine. And she needs to make her own friends, like I did." She said angrily.

"Daphne, do as we ask!" Medea glared, holding the jar out of her reach threateningly. Daphne looked at her sister with contempt, and then reluctantly agreed, holding out her hand for the powder.

Daphne said nothing to her family once she arrived to the train station. Knowing that her mother would surely give her one last order, backed up by her father's threatening voice, she decided it was best to leave them to say goodbye to Astoria. It also gave her a head start to get _away_ from her.  
"What's you rush?" Theodore laughed, catching up to her just as she was about to board the train. Daphne gave him a quick hug for a greeting, then pulled him onto the train with her.

"I'm trying to get away from my sister. My parents made me swear to sit with her, but I'd rather sit with a dragon than her!" Daphne said shortly as she yanked over the first car she found and threw her stuff, and then Theodore, inside.

"Is she really that bad?" Theodore asked, rubbing his elbow from where he had hit the doorway .

"Yes." She grunted "Whatever _she_ asks for, _she _gets. Whatever _she _does is forgiven. _She's_ perfect!"

"Are you really jealous of your 11-year old sister?" he asked, sitting down and propping his feet on his trunk. Daphne stopped her rant short when she heard that. Knowing he was right on, she sighed and sat down with a flop on the seat.

"Pathetic, aren't I?" she sniffed. "If you had siblings, you'd understand."

"Probably. But lucky for me, I don't." He smirked. "So, summer wasn't so great?"

"Oh, it was alright..." she sighed, letting Eris out of her cage and holding her in her lap. "Aside from Astoria whining every 10 seconds about what she needed for Hogwarts, I spent the majority of my holidays at home, reading and swimming at the beach."

"I didn't know girls with your fair skin could go to the beach." Theodore smirked again. "Don't you fry in the sun?"

"Not if you use this potion my mother got when she was in Greece last April. Stops the sun from burning my skin, but gives me a nice tan." She smiled proudly, extending her one arm to show how brown her skin had gotten over the past 2 months. Theodore took an extra long look at her skin, like he was scanning every light freckle he could see all along her arm.

"When did you get the cat?" he asked without breaking eye contact with her skin.

"Just a month ago. Astoria wanted one, and they were on sale together, so my father got me one too." She replied faintly, still watching Theodore. He sensed that she was watching him because he suddenly tore himself away her skin and now looked to the cat.

"Named?" he asked as he scratched the animals behind the ear.

"Eris." Daphne said quietly, scratching the other ear gently. Eris purred at the attention she was receiving "She must like you. Normally she only lets me touch her." Theodore said nothing, but he smiled contently to himself.

There was tapping at the door and their eyes shot up with surprise. Daphne felt her mood change instantaneously from relaxed and at ease to burdened and annoyed in a mere second.  
"Will you excuse me for a moment?" she grumbled, handing Eris over to Theodore before he could reply. She yanked open the door and glared down at her shorter sibling.

"You promised mother and father." She said curtly.

Daphne let out a brief laugh. "Astoria, you have to find your own car. I am not about to give up one of my friends seats just so you can pretend that you're scared and vulnerable."

"But I can't find anywhere!" Astoria whined, contorting her face to look like she was sad and neglected. Daphne rolled her eyes. "The train's not _that _full! Keep walking, and you'll find somewhere!" she hissed.

"How do you know! I could end up sitting in a hallway!" she cried dramatically.

"Good! It will harden you up a bit! You need to learn that the whole world isn't designed for your benefit. Now go away!" She said, glancing down at her sisters hands, which were empty. "Where's you trunk?"

Astoria continued with her antics, then slowly let a small, evil smirk cross her face "In another car."

"So you're just here to annoy me? You have found another car?" Daphne demanded, annoyed at her attempt to guilt her.

"And people to sit with too." She smirked wider.

Daphne narrowed her eyes and smacked her hands off the frame of the door. "See why I didn't want to sit with you, you little liar?" she growled in frustration. She had dealt with these tricks all summer, and the fact that they were going to continue into the school year made it that much worse. "You may have mother and father wrapped around your finger, but I'm not so easily fooled." She warned in a low voice. "Now leave me alone and stop trying to torment me." She finished, stepping back and preparing to close the door, but her hand flashed out like lightning and stopped it.

"I'm going to tell mother and father." Her sister threatened, her smirk even more devilish. Daphne laughed again.

"Please do! And tell them whatever story you want! By the time they see me again, they'll have long gotten over it. You see, you're not home under their noses anymore; out of sight, out of mind. They'll forget all your little tricks and games while you're away; you'll have to start all over again at Christmas." Daphne grinned, watching her sisters smirk fade into a frown.

"Who's the guy? Boyfriend, Daphne?" Astoria cracked. Daphne let out a quick laugh at her attempt to stir up trouble, but Theodore beat her to the punch.

"No, I'm Theodore Nott, son of a cold-blooded killer." He said in a low, serious voice. Astoria looked at her sister for some sort of reassurance, fear in her eyes.

"And he hates first years." Daphne added, grabbing the door again and this time succeeding in almost closing it. This time, however, another hand stopped it.

"Get out of here Firsty!" Tracey said dully, pushing Astoria out of her way and stepping into the car with her trunk. "Ah, Daphne! How was your summer?"

Daphne smiled so wide at her friends treatment of her spoiled sister. "Same as usual; Horrid." She said, gesturing to an empty seat for her to sit in. "And there's the  
reason; you've now met my sister." She said, nodding her head towards the door.

"Oh,_ that's_ Astoria?" she said, looking the girl over. "Sour looking thing, isn't she?" she remarked coolly to Daphne.

"Yes, she's putting on a show of abuse and tears, as you can see." She said, nodding her head to her sister, who was silently working on her fake tears. "Once again Astoria, those may work on our parents, but not on me." She repeated, taking the door and closing until there was just half a foot gap for an entrance. "Now, go back to your car and stop bothering me... or I'll set Nott on you." She added before slamming the door in her face. Daphne took her seat back beside Theodore and took her cat off his lap. As she resumed petting Eris, she noticed Theodore still staring out the glass door, eyes as dark as a demon. From out the corner of her eye, she saw Astoria make her dramatic exit.

"What a charming child." Theodore spoke, removing his look of death.

"Isn't she? I can't believe I'm stuck with her for the remainder of my Hogwarts years..." Daphne sighed.

"Well, we could dispose of her in the Forbidden Forest." Tracey offered.

"No, my home life would be worse if my parents lost precious Astoria." She grumbled.

"And tragic, I'm sure." Theodore teased.

About 10 minutes later, the remainder of their 3rd year house mates joined them in the now very crowded car. Pansy was practically sitting in Draco's lap, and Crabbe and Goyle were rammed up against the window of one side. Daphne now found herself wedge right against Theodore (practically in his lap as well) and Blaise, who had taken more than his fair share of the seat. Millicent's cat was playing with Eris on the floor, running around their feet.  
"I never expected you to be a cat person." Pansy mused, lightly setting her hand on Draco's leg. Daphne felt a small heat building up in her chest, but ignored it.

"Neither did I. But when my spoiled sister got one, my dad got me one too. I fell in love with her on sight." Daphne smiled, reaching down under Theodore's leg and scratching Eris's ear.

"I know just how you feel." Pansy smirked, glancing in Draco's direction. He appeared to not have noticed her advances, and was looking at something across the car.

"Looks like it's going to rain soon. It's pretty dark up ahead." He said absently. Tracey rolled her eyes to Daphne, making a face to resemble Pansy. Daphne and Theodore snickered with laughter until Pansy shot an angry glare down to Tracey.

The train began to slow abruptly. Draco stood up, pushing Pansy off him to look out the window.  
"What's going on?" he wondered. Blaise also stood and pressed his face against the glass.

"We've stopped right under this lovely thunder cloud... this will be interesting." He said, flopping back into his seat. As soon as he sat back down, the train jerked to a short stop, launching Theodore, Daphne, Blaise, Millicent, and Tracey onto the floor unexpectedly. Draco had also tumbled over and was now lying on top of Blaise and Tracey.

"What the hell was that?!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet and climbing over everyone to look outside the car door. As soon as he reached the handle, however, the train jerked sideways, launching him back onto the pile in the floor... this time, landing on top of Daphne. She now felt that familiar heat rising in her chest again, and her stomach began to churn and twist.

The lights went out, and Pansy and Millicent let out small screams. As they all struggled to get back into their seats, they felt a cold wave come across the car.  
"What's going on?" Tracey whispered frantically as the air got colder. Daphne shook her head slowly.

Then, movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. Theodore had seen it too; there was a dark figure coming down the hall. She felt suddenly very sad and empty, on top of freezing cold. They all watched as the dark hooded figured floated past without so much as a second glance into their car. The farther the figure got, the better she felt.  
"Impossible." Theodore said barely above a whisper. The others looked at him for an answer, which he reluctantly gave. "I think that might have been... a dementor." He said, his voice shaking a little. Daphne noticed that his hands were shaking slightly, which he hid away in his sweater pocket a second later.

"Dementors? On the Hogwarts Express?" Draco said, barely breathing it. The others all sat in silent fear.

A moment later, the lights were back on and the train was moving again. Daphne shifted uncomfortably, and then noticed Eris and Millicent's cat cowered still in the corner under Crabbe's seat.  
"Here Eris, come here." Daphne called, her voice cracking a little. The others all started to relax as well, and Pansy was the first to speak.

"Eris? What kind of name is that?" she asked, resuming her fawning over Draco as if nothing had happened.

"It's an Ancient Greek name. She was the goddess of discord." Daphne replied, petting her cat once it jumped onto her lap.

"How pleasant" Pansy smirked. Tracey rolled her eyes.

Flint now appeared at the glass door, tapping on the glass and motioning for Draco to answer the door. "Probably Quidditch business." He said in a proud tone; now Blaise and Theodore rolled their eyes.

"Potter fainted!" he burst as soon as Draco opened the door.

"Fainted? From what?" Blaise and Draco asked at the same time.

"The Dementors! I was walking down the halls right after they passed, and I saw Potter just lying there on the seat! There was some guy in there trying to help him, but Weasley and Granger looked really upset."

"Potter fainted!" Draco laughed.

Daphne felt like telling them that it was perfectly logical for someone to faint with such a creature nearby, but when Flint added that he was the only one on the train that did, she wondered if perhaps it wasn't so common after all. Then she remembered how Theodore shook, and although she wanted to ask him while she remembered it, she knew that it would be like throwing him to the dogs if she did.

"How close are we?" Millicent wondered out loud.

"Well, we can't be far; why would they put those things close to London? We must be near the school." Blaise theorized. Daphne craned her neck to look out the window and recognized some familiar surroundings.

"I think we're about 20 minutes off. Maybe we should get into our robes." She stated, grabbing the bag that she had stashed under her seat. "C'mon Eris, back in your cage for a little while." She called. The cat jumped up onto her lap again, but looked very unhappy upon seeing the cage.

"Let's go steal the bathrooms Draco." Pansy smiled widely. Draco followed along, once again apparently not noticing her throwing herself at him. _Either he is truely blind or he wishes he was..._ Daphne thought, shaking her head slowly as they left the car, followed by Crabbe, Goyle and Millicent.

"She may as well beat him over the head with it." Blaise grumbled as he opened his trunk and grabbed his robes.

"He doesn't seem too willing, does he?" Tracey mused, glancing at Daphne for a moment.

"What?" she asked, feeling her cheeks turn slightly pink again; she knew what her friend was alluding to. She quickly turned around and pretended to fumble around in her bag.

"Apparently not... or maybe he really doesn't know she's trying." Theodore added, saying the first thing in what seemed like ages.  
Blaise laughed sharply "Oh believe me, he's going to know after tonight." He nodded at Theodore "No way are we going to let him live any of _that_ down; we'll tease him all night probably."

"It's true; nothing better that making fun of a guy for liking a girl." Theodore cracked a small smile.

"Does it happen often then?" Tracey asked, smirking a little.

"Oh, once in a while. But we're not saying who." He said, looking at Theodore knowingly. Then they made their exit towards the washrooms as well.

"Interesting..." Tracey mused from behind Daphne "I wonder if they know about your little secret."

"I still don't know what you're talking about." Daphne said stiffly. Tracey laughed at this.

"Oh yes, I dare say you don't! Really Daphne, could you be any more obvious? Turning red at every mention of him towards you?" she said, taking her arm in hers and starting out of the car "I'm surprised you don't keel over every time he looks at you."  
This time Daphne said nothing. She was beginning to realize that her friend was indeed right. She really did fancy Draco. Everything else all made sense now; the strange feeling in her chest whenever he was near, how she wanted to pull Pansy's hair every time she saw them together.  
_Great. Just great. _She thought, sighing outwardly.

When the train had stopped and all the students were piling off, Daphne had somehow managed to lose everyone except Theodore. The rush of students, all chattering about the Dementors or Sirius Black, it was impossible to pick out any of her other housemates.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me." Daphne sighed lightly. Theodore smiled briefly, and then it faded into his normal, un-amused expression. They managed to find a carriage that wasn't filled with students yet, and to Daphne's surprise, Theodore reached ahead and smacked the air. To even more of her surprise, the carriage lurched forward. "What was that?" she asked, an odd expression on her face.

"You can't see them?" he asked, turning and gesturing to the blank air ahead.

"Uh, no... what am I supposed to see?" she asked quietly. Theodore sighed and sank into his chair, telling her it was nothing. She nodded her head and then remembered what she was to ask him. She cleared her throat and leaned forward, just in case there were any other carriages nearby. "Theodore, I noticed that you were... shaking when the Dementor came in." She said quietly. He said nothing at first, and in fact pretended not to have heard the question, looking out into the forest they were passing through. Daphne leaned back awkwardly and also looked out at the surroundings; clearly, it wasn't the right time to ask that question. But then he sighed loudly and turned back to face her.

"My father is terrified of going to Azkaban because of them." He said in a low voice "And he's told me time and time again about what they do to people... how they make you feel, how they leave you mindless and empty if they- " he stopped short and looked out in the forest "I guess some of his fear transferred to me..." he added, sounding ashamed of it.

"Had you ever seen one?" Daphne asked without thinking. He looked up with a blank expression "Of course not; what a stupid question." She mumbled to herself.

"No, not really." He corrected "No, I've never seen one. I gather my father has though; his description of one was almost exact."

"Almost?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

"He didn't quite describe how cold it would get... maybe he saw them from far away. From what he said, it wasn't something he wanted to get close to..." Theodore  
looked up and directly into her eyes "He's seen people die from them... well, not die, but cease to exist. People become empty shells after they-" he broke off again before mentioning what exactly a dementor did. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat across from her.

"I'm not going to tell anyone, Theodore." Daphne reassured.

"I should hope not." He sniffed lightly "Otherwise I'll be laughed at too, like Potter."

"I doubt that." Daphne replied instantly, but knew in her mind that it was quiet possible. "But it doesn't matter because no one is going to know." She reassured again. Theodore smiled slightly and turned to see the castle approaching fast. He stood and helped Daphne up as well, taking her hand and helping her down off the still moving carriage.

"Better go find Draco." He mumbled. "Before he gets himself jinxed by Potter."

"Or before Pansy smothers him to death..." Daphne added quietly.

The opening feast was only interesting for one brief moment; when Astoria Greengrass took her seat on the stool at the front and awaited to be sorted.  
"Anyone we know?" Draco nodded his head in her direction. Daphne rolled her eyes and slumped her head onto her hands.

"My sister." She mumbled into her palms. She listened carefully as the hat was no doubt thinking, and then without more than 3 seconds delay, called 'SLYTHERIN' out to the Hall. _Damn _she thought, letting out a long sigh. Then, out of what little sibling respect and love she had for her spoiled sister, she joined her housemates in their applause for their newest member.

"Since when do you have a sister?" Pansy asked over the applause and cheering. Daphne noticed that her beauty of a sister was already attracting some attention from the nearby 2nd year and 1st year boys.

"I never mentioned her because no doubt hear about all on her own efforts." She replied, looking down the table at her sister. Her blonde hair was now tied up in a high pony tail, letting her loose curls cascade down onto her back and shoulders. She smiled graciously as she introduced herself to the boys that were sitting around her, and batted her eyes like the little vixen she was.  
_And so it begins... _she remarked silently. She watched Astoria for a few moments more, carefully noting the young men she was now taking an interest in; she knew none of them by name. _Lucky for you; I would be writing home to father with every single one of their names if I did... make sure he knows what you're up to...  
_  
"So Daphne, do you fancy a quick game of Exploding snap when we get back to our dorms?" Tracey asked from her left side. Daphne shook her head clear of her mischievous thoughts of all the things she would write to her father about Astoria.

"Uh, sure! Did you get a deck for your birthday?" Daphne asked, now immersing herself into this conversation.

"Yes. It was more or less a bribe, actually. I caught Dad sneaking into our backyard one night, and she essentially paid me off with a good haul this year. I got a new deck, plus a bunch more clothes-"

"Where did you get your clothes Tracey?" Pansy interrupted, a small smirk on her face. Daphne knew that she was trying to bring up the old news that Tracey was a half blood and that she couldn't afford the magical things that she could.

"Well, I got some at Madame Malkins, and others stuff at a store in New York, where my mother was on business last month." Tracey replied smartly, knowing that she would have no idea what to say about any store she named off; Pansy had barely left England, let alone the continent.

"Well, you must show me what you got. I'd love to see what the Americans are wearing." She replied, almost sounding honestly interested. Tracey smiled sarcastically, but Pansy took no notice; she was already lost in Draco... again.

"How long do you think this is going to last?" Tracey whispered to Daphne, a coy smile on her lips.

"I don't know, but if she's this revolting all the time, I think I'll kill her before he does." Daphne whispered back. It really was appalling how Pansy was throwing herself at Draco (more than ever) and he seemed to either not being taking notice, or was ignoring her completely.

"With your luck, he'll actually take to her." Tracey said in a low voice. Daphne looked oddly at her, searching her face for the meaning of her words.

"What do you mean with my luck?" Daphne asked, a little louder than before. Theodore was now listening in, and they were both conscious of it.

"I mean that he'll start dating her, and you'll be out of the runnings." She said, nodding her head to Pansy discretely. Daphne felt her cheeks turning pink again; she really wished she would stop bringing this up! Panicking, she let her strawberry blonde hair fall onto her shoulders and into her face a little to cover her cheeks.

"I really have no idea what you're talking about..." she mumbled, now distracted by Dumbledore starting his speech. _Never have I been so thankful to hear this old man speak..._

"... our school is presently play host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business." He announced, feeling a wave of silent fear and curiosity spread over the Great Hall. Daphne felt Theodore tense beside her, and instinctively, she placed her hand on his knee for a moment, reminding him that she was on his side.

"Don't worry; nothing will happen." She whispered soothingly. He nodded his head, and managed to keep up the appearance that he was completely unshaken by the announcement.

"Wonder who they're trying to keep out." Draco pondered aloud, attracting the looks of several students from the Ravenclaw table. "Or maybe they're trying to keep someone in... Potter probably; causing enough trouble as it is without wandering about the country." He added. The students who were listening had now turned away, bored with the subject already.

"Let's hope for our sake it's someone on the outside..." Daphne mumbled. Draco looked down at the table in cynical interest "If this person is so bad that they need the Dementors to guard us, I'd rather that person be out there than in here with us."

The first day of lessons was one that Daphne had been dreading all summer. This year she had to take Care of Magical Creatures (which she was afraid of 75 of said creatures) and Divination later that week (not with the Gryffindors thankfully), which her mother was a master in at her age, and of course expected Daphne to be as well.  
"Like your mother would disown you if you failed Divination, of all things." Pansy said lightly at breakfast that morning. "My mother seems to think it's a bird course; the one you take to bring your grade level up." She was twittering, shovelling eggs onto her plate.

"Yes, well, my mother is convinced that intelligence is passed on through birth... I would hate to prove her wrong." Daphne sighed, tossing her croissant onto her plate again, no longer hungry.

"Ready to face these things?" Tracey said, holding up her Care of Magical Creatures book that was chained shut. Daphne nodded her head silently and tapped her hand on her own book, which was wrapped up in twine.

"Wonder how we're expected to study from these if we can't even open it..." Theodore said drearily, flopping into his chair, clearly tired.

"What's wrong with you?" Draco asked, looking up from his food briefly. His mother's most recent package had contained his favourite sweets, which he had decided were a better option than the breakfast Hogwarts was serving today.

"I couldn't sleep." Theodore said, glancing at Daphne; she instantly understood why. "My stomach was upset from the food last night." He added.

"Yes, I know what you mean." Draco agreed, pushing his hardly touched food away from him. "I can't even stomach this crap, let alone expect that I have to eat this every day; what's happened to our staff this year!? First we have that great oaf teaching, and then our food is so horrible that we'll starve? I'm beginning to believe that Drumstrang is a better option with each passing day." Pansy looked up desperately and tried to think of something to say.

"We should head down to class." Blaise suggested, picking up his buckled-shut book under his arm. Draco nodded his head, and the others all followed suit, gathering their things for class.

Daphne managed to separate herself and Theodore from the others as they trudged down towards the hut at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He wasn't looking any better in the sunlight, and Daphne was beginning to wonder if he could seriously handle having these creatures on the grounds.  
"You should say something to Dumbledore." She said, taking his arm to stop him from trying to catch up to Blaise, who was calling him.

"About what?" he yawned. Daphne gave him a stern look.

"About _that_. He can't seriously expect you to put your health at risk in order for-"

"The entire school to be protected from whatever he wants to keep out?" Theodore interjected. Daphne paused, trying to think of something to say to that. "Look, as selfish as I may be, I am not so selfish to put the whole school, and therefore myself, at risk of whatever the Ministry is trying to keep out of Hogwarts."

"Well, maybe you should ask him-"

"Daphne, I appreciate the effort, but honestly, I don't need any therapy sessions about my fear of the most terrifying creature in existence. If that were the case, I'm sure half the school would be asking for the same favour." He said, starting to walk again. Daphne ran a few steps to catch up.

"Ok, it was just a suggestion. I just don't want you to get sick or something... last thing I need is to have my personal tutor getting ill." She joked, nudging him in the ribs lightly.

"Then you and Tracey would have the teach me, Merlin's beard." He teased back, now catching up to the others. Upon hearing her name, Tracey turned around to face them.

"What about me? And where did you two get to?" she said, eyebrows raised in a quizzical way, examining them both curiously.

"My book went a little crazy." Daphne lied. "Thing was snapping in between the ropes, and Theodore helped me tie it back in."

"I can't understand why on earth we should have books like _this_!" Draco interjected loudly so others could hear. Theodore rolled his eyes at Draco's love of making a scene.

"Obviously someone was hoping that it would take off your big mouth, Malfoy." Seamus sneered as he passed by. Draco was about to shout something after him, but Hagrid had now appeared at the front of the class, trying to get everyone's attention.

The giant went on about how to open the books (which Draco made a snide remark about), and then disappeared into the forest to get whatever he had for the lesson (which left Draco another opportunity to make more comments, this time helped by Pansy). When Hagrid returned with a Hippogriff, Daphne felt herself moving instinctively backwards.  
"What's the matter with you, Daphne?" Blaise asked, noticing her fear.

"Not a big fan of big animals." She said weakly, pushing herself to the back of the crowd.

"What do you mean by 'big' animals?" Tracey asked, joining her at the back.

"Anything bigger than a dog is pretty much out of the question for petting, riding, and having within 20 feet of me." She said, nervously rubbing her arm like she was cold. "Don't worry, I'll just watch from afar, thank you."

By this time, Hagrid was loading Potter up onto the beast, and he was off riding it around the grounds. Pansy, although she looked amazed, said that she hoped he fell off into the lake and the squid got him; this was received by several glares from Gryffindors.  
"Certainly is hard to make friends with them, isn't it?" Blaise chuckled to his friends at their reaction.

"Like we would need _them_ as friends." Theodore said, loud enough for at least one Gryffindor girl to hear. She gave him a nasty look at walked across the crowd.

"Here comes Potter again." Tracey grumbled, nodding her head up in the sky. About 15 seconds later, the Hippogriff and Harry had safely landed on the ground. A few of the students were cheering and clapping, but none of the Slytherins look thrilled.

"Oh please, he didn't even do anything! And people think that he's amazing for it..." Draco hissed before he stepped forward.

"If I didn't know any better, I would think that Draco is jealous of Potter." Tracey said quietly. Pansy still heard and shot a look of death at her.

While Pansy was preparing to say something very strong to Tracey, there was a sudden commotion, and before any of the Slytherin's knew what had happened, Draco lay on the ground, screaming in pain.  
"I'm dying! It's killed me!" he cried, waiting for attention from Hagrid, who was tying the Hippogriff back.

"DRACO! Oh no! What happened!" Pansy shrieked, looking like she was about to burst into tears. Daphne too felt herself run forward to his aid, and then when she heard a loud growl from the creature that was now tied back, felt herself stumble back, taking out Blaise in the process.

"What happened?" she asked him as she scrambled to get back up, feeling a sudden rush of fear and panic.

"Draco walked up to it and it just went insane! Tried to take his whole arm off!" Blaise said loudly.

"Oh no! Is he alright?" Daphne asked, pulling herself up on Tracey and Millicent's arms just in time to see Hagrid carrying him off towards the castle with a giant gash on his arm. "Should we follow them?" she asked, the panic quite clear in her voice.

"He should be sacked straight away!" Pansy cried, now with real tears falling from her eyes. One of the Gryffindors shouted something back, and then Crabbe and Goyle stepped forward in defence.

The entire class made their way up to the castle, now without a teacher or a lesson. Pansy ran up towards the hospital wing, leaving the Gryffindors and the Slytherins staring at each other awkwardly.  
"Well, I'm going back to the common room." Blaise announced to his housemates. Without a word in agreement, the others began to follow him back down towards their house. Daphne wanted to go with Pansy to check on Draco, but Tracey had warned her of what she would see when she got there.

"A lot of blood, and Pansy crying and smothering him, thinking that he's dying, which he certainly isn't." Tracey said, entering the common room before Daphne. She  
now stood outside the door, looking back up the empty, dark hallway that would lead her to the hospital wing. She thought about going up to see him for about a minute, but then realized that seeing him in a state like this would upset her more.

When she finally entered the common room, she sat by the fire and felt her insides turning with anxiety. _He could be dead by now... or he could be so injured that he can never use his arm again... Oh, poor Draco! He may never be able to play Quidditch again! _She looked up from the fire, over at the other students who had witnessed the incident; they were all laughing at something Tracey had said, enjoying their free period. It was like nothing had ever happened, and that Draco and Pansy were just off for a stroll or something. _Am I the only person who cares about Draco's welfare?_ She thought, almost digusted by her friends behaviour.

Then it hit her like a she'd flown into a brick wall on her broom.  
_Merlin, Tracey's right; I am in love with him!_

_**AN: **I'll try and update the rest of this year soon, but hopefully this will give you a little taste of what's to come._

**REVIEW!! **I want to know what you guys think!!


	5. Year 3 Part 2

_**AN: **Alright, to clarify a couple of things. I recently told my friend to read this, and she remarked on how a lot of romance and such wasn't happening. That's because a very valid point was brought to my attention when I used to RP; 11- 13 year-olds don't have serious relationships, if any at all.  
__So with that being said, be prepared for a change of direction as we head into 4th year.  
__Anddd!! I sat down the other day and wrote the 2nd last chapter because I had to get it out of my head. So that means it will be ready almost immidiately when I get to that point... which I am determined to do so._

_Sorry I've taken so long to update, but I'm working on the plot and actually typing out the chapters. Hopefully they'll come faster now.  
I would also REALLY REALLY like some more reviews. I seriously want to know what you guys are thinking about this story!!_

**Year 3 (continued)**

Later that night, Draco was released from the hospital wing, moaning and wincing all the way back to the Slytherin Common room, where his classmates greeted him.  
"Draco, you lived!" Blaise teased, walking over casually to examine the damage. Pansy, who had stayed by his side the whole day and had walked him back, recounted the entire story of all the agony that he had been through, and that no one should tease him for it.

"My father's going to get that oaf fired." Draco smirked proudly. Tracey exchanged a quick glance to Daphne before she spoke.

"What will happen to the animal?" Tracey asked casually. Draco sniffed a laugh and winced a little at his own movement. Pansy instantly flew in to sooth him.

"It might get executed, _if_ the courts find it dangerous." He said as he slowly adjusted his wrapped up arm. The sling limited how far he could move it back and forward, but he was still able to move his hand.

"And by _if_, you mean that it is sure to happen." Theodore finished his train of thought.

"Yes, well, when you have the amount of influence that _my_ father does, I don't need to worry." Draco said lazily. Theodore narrowed his eyes at the back of Draco's head, which was now focused on Pansy and her fussing over him.

Daphne was momentarily distracted by the sight of her sister, giggling with glee at whatever one of the boys her age was saying. Astoria had, as she expected, fit in almost automatically, and had yet to speak or even acknowledge Daphne as her sibling. _As I expected her to..._  
Eris suddenly jumped up on the couch beside her and meowed for attention. Pansy gave the animal a small sneer as she moved herself farther away from it.

"I hate cats." She announced lightly, fixing Draco's hair as he discussed something with Crabbe and Goyle, not even noticing her gesture. Daphne said nothing to Pansy, and tried her hardest to ignore the feeling she had of wanting to shove Pansy over the back of the couch and take her spot beside Draco.

"Just ignore her." Daphne smiled to Eris, pulling a treat out of her pocket and putting it in her hand for Eris to eat. Just as the cat finished, her identical sister jumped up on the couch too, screaming for food and attention. Daphne rolled her eyes and pet Pandora, feeding her a treat, which the animal gobbled up in seconds.

"Are you becoming the cat lady, Daph?" Pansy teased.

"_Daph_? Since when do we call her Daph?" Draco chimed in, now watching Daphne as she tried to pay attention to both cats. Daphne felt her cheeks go a little pink.

"Please don't." She said shortly "And this one isn't mine." She remarked, looking up across the room at her sister, who was now tossing her blonde hair over her shoulders as she laughed at her own joke. _Payback for Princess... _Daphne thought, smirking to Tracey. "Astoria!" Daphne called sternly. She watched with silent glee as her sister turned her face, and expression of horror and embarrassment on her face.

"What!?" she whined, her eyes showing that she was not happy at being interrupted. Daphne felt her insides go from holding a thousand butterflies to almost bursting with bottled laughter.

"Do you ever feed this animal that you whined and cried all summer for? The thing is starving!" she remarked slowly, an evil smirk crossing her lips. For once, she could tease and get her back without their parents coming down on her. Astoria gave her sister a look of rage and stormed over to her.

"I did not _whine _and _cry_!" she hissed, picking up Pandora (who tried to dig her claws into the couch unsuccessfully) and glaring at her sister. Daphne, however, only smirked wider as she watched her little sister, who was about a foot shorter than her, try and size her up.

"Aww, is Astoria a big girl now?" she teased, picking up her own cat gently and petting her. "Might I suggest you feed her more often then? You wouldn't want father to think twice next time he gives you something you don't deserve." She remarked, now taking a seat on the couch beside Tracey. Astoria stood there, now looking at each of Daphne's friends one by one (with a look of particular fear when she saw Theodore). "You can go now." Daphne said in a low, dismissive voice. Astoria gave her sister one last glare before she stormed off towards her dorms with Pandora meowing loudly.

"Did I ever mention that your sister is a sweet little angel?" Tracey remarked sarcastically. Daphne sniffed a quick laugh as she fed Eris another treat.

"Did I ever mention that I'm happy I have no siblings?" Theodore chuckled.

That night at dinner, Pansy made a fuss about how Draco was going to eat, and even offered to feed him, much to the disgust of Tracey.  
"Merlin, she may as well just snog him here and now." She whispered to Daphne, causing her to choke on her drink. Once she cleared her throat, Daphne passed the message on to Blaise, who was sitting beside her. He also laughed.

"Well, we teased him mercilessly about it last night, but he didn't seem bothered by it at all... I think he wants her too." Blaise said in a low voice. Daphne felt like someone had just thrown cold water on her.

"Are you sure? Maybe he just doesn't want to upset her?" she offered. Blaise looked at her like she was crazy.

"This is Draco we're talking about; like he would care what happens to anyone else." He chuckled before pouring himself another glass of pumpkin juice.

"True..." Daphne sighed. She watched with bitter jealously as Pansy fawned over Draco, and Tracey stamped on her foot to draw her attention away.

"So, Daphne? Have your parents written you yet?" she asked, her fake smiling telling her that she was a dead give-away; Daphne went a shade of pink briefly.

"What?" she asked, puzzled for a moment. Tracey nodded her head towards the other end of the table, where the first person who caught her eye was Astoria, and then she remembered "Oh that... not yet, although I imagine they won't fret; what can they do when I'm hundreds of miles away?"

" Not to mention when she adds in the letter 'I've met lots of boys, and they're all so nice to me', I'm sure that little problem won't matter a bit to them." Tracey added, smirking a little.

Daphne sighed a little, embarrassed for her family and Astoria (despite her best efforts) "So I'm not the only one that noticed it?"

"That your sister has flirted with everything male her age and a year older and she's only been here for a full day? Nope, I noticed it too." Tracey chuckled. Daphne hung her head over her plate, trying to think of what she could do. Chances are, Astoria wouldn't listen to her, and most likely call her jealous of all the attention she's receiving.

_But if I leave her to it, she'll just make a fool of herself... and Merlin knows what effect that will have on us... _she thought, trying to think of a way to bring up her sisters manners. "I think I'll write to my parents tonight." Daphne said suddenly, raising her head and looking down the table at her sister. "I wonder if they will be so pleased to know that their precious daughter is having a hay-day."

Defence Against the Darks Arts was the lesson that Daphne had most dreaded since school had started; last year, she had barely passed, and this year was not looking to be any better. When Daphne and the other Slytherins were walking towards their first DADA class of the year, Daphne had a strong feeling of helplessness."I'm likely to die in any one of these lessons..." she grumbled to Tracey, who patted her on the shoulder.

"There there. If anything happens to you, I'll take care of Eris." She promised, a devilish smile on her face. Daphne laughed a little and gave her friend a quick shove, which of course passed on into Pansy.

"Watch where you're going!" Pansy scolded them "If Draco had been here, can you imagine the damage you would have done!?" she added before she scurried to catch up with Draco, who wasn't even paying attention. Tracey watched her run ahead and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, because he's _such_ a cripple..." she grumbled.

"Well, he is pretty injured." Daphne said quietly "I mean, what condition do you think you would be in if you had been mauled by a giant... thing!"

"Oh I forgot, you feel the same way that she does." Tracey teased; Daphne poked her hard in the ribs for that remark.

"Shut it! Do you think I want _her_ knowing that?" Daphne hissed. Tracey laughed loudly.

"I should think you would be more concerned about _him_ knowing about it, but I'm sure you have a point." She pointed out lightly, now stopping to join the rest of the crowd as they waited outside the classroom.

Before Daphne really understood what was going on, the entire class was traveling up towards the staff room, where they were told they were going to face a boggart. Daphne felt her anxiety growing a little stronger.  
"Great. Everyone gets to see what I fear most, and I don't even know what that is." Daphne grumbled. Theodore and Blaise turned to her, Blaise holding his hand out towards her.

"We'll protect you Daph." He offered. Daphne smacked his hand away from her.  
"Don't call me that, _Zabi_." She hissed. Blaise's face turned dark, and he shook his head and turned back to the lesson. Theodore laughed and took a step back to stand beside her.

"What do you think it will turn into?" he offered. Daphne sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Something big, like a troll of something... I don't like big animals." She explained.

"Why?" he asked, watching Professor Lupin whisper something to Neville.

Daphne took a deep breath before she divulged her secret. "When I was about 6, I was visiting my Grandparents in France. I was wandering around the forest on their land- don't ask me why- and this gigantic dog appeared out of nowhere! It chased me out of the forest, and my father had to jinx it to stop it from coming onto the grounds after me." She said, glancing around at the other students that were all intrigued by something going on at the front of the lesson. "The Ministry told my parents it was a stray Gytrash, which aren't even supposed to be in France! Apparently someone had taken one as a pet, and it had escaped months before." She added, now watching the front of the classroom where Snape had now appeared. "Needless to say, I don't like anything higher than my waist now." She added.

Theodore said nothing for a moment, then figured out something. "Well, let's hope that you don't intend on taking a job in that particular Ministry department."

"Thanks Theodore." She grumbled.

She watched carefully as the other students stepped forward and were met by what they feared most. She stayed close to the back of the crowd, watching and waiting for either class to end or for her turn to come up. She watched as the Boggart turned into a spider, a mummy, a snake, and then a silver ball. Then, before she knew it, the class was over.

"Well, that was short lived. I didn't even get to set my evil Boggart of bees on anyone." Tracey smirked as she walked up to Daphne, taking her arm as they walked out on the staffroom and towards their common room.

"Only you would find your own fear funny." Daphne teased.

"I find all human weaknesses funny... I'm like a Greek God." She laughed.

"And what weaknesses do you laugh at in me?" Daphne asked, eyeing her friend carefully.

Tracey stopped her from walking any farther as she glanced her over. Then, with a content smile, she looked up and gave her answer; "Jealousy."

"What!? You can't be serious! I'm not _that_ bad, am I?" Daphne said in a low but frantic voice. Tracey laughed hard and continued to walk with Daphne.

"Daphne, if I didn't know you, I would never have noticed." She started "But _because_ I know you, I can tell when you're giving someone the glare of death, and you give it to her almost daily now."

"Well what can I do? Stop talking to her? Stop talking to _him_?" Daphne pointed out smartly.

"No, you have to beat her." Tracey said simply. Now Daphne laughed.

"Beat her? You mean beat her _off_ him, right? How can I show her up if I can't get _him _alone?" she whispered.

Tracey looked over her shoulder and saw that Draco, along with Crabbe and Goyle were coming their way "You tell me." She whispered back.

"... What good are you two going to do me?" Draco said as he started to walk at the same pace as Daphne and Tracey. "I can't write, and you two have worst marks than I do, so how can you expect me to get any work done?" he added, giving Crabbe and Goyle a snide look "I'm going to have to get Nott to do it or something."

"I'll do it!" Daphne said, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. Draco looked at her and appeared to be thinking "I have all the same classes as you, and I have good penmanship." She added cheerfully. He still appeared to be thinking, which was a bit wary for Daphne "And my spelling as improved too."

Draco smiled, satisfied by her offer "Alright, sounds good. At least I'll get a decent amount of homework done with you." He agreed. "Shall we meet in the common room after dinner?"

"Sure!" she said, once again a little too enthusiastically. Crabbe and Goyle made faces at each other before they followed Draco, who was now walking away.

"Well, that was even better than I expected!" Tracey congratulated Daphne, her arm around her shoulders.

"What can I say; spur of the moment decision..." she said quietly, realizing that now she was going to have to go through with her offer... and her marks were probably as bad as Crabbe and Goyle's to start.

For the next 2 weeks, Daphne helped Draco write out his homework after dinner. Much to Daphne's surprise, Pansy seemed to have no interest in watching Draco dictate to Daphne, and therefore left them alone for most of the nights. This gave Daphne unlimited access to Draco, and everything she could think to say to him.  
"Wonder what it would be like to be as poor as the Weasley's are." She pondered aloud one evening as she noticed that the library book he had taken out for his Potions assignment was once checked out by Percy Weasley. Draco gave her a look of disgust before he took the book and flipped through the pages.

"Horrid I should think. Imagine being so disgraceful and having to live in a shack like theirs... honestly, I would almost feel pity for them if they weren't the Weasley's." He replied as he continued to flip through the pages. "Lucky for us we don't have to worry about any of that." He added.

"Well, as long as your family likes mine." Daphne sniffed a small laugh. Draco smirked at this thought and looked at Daphne.

"Then it's a good thing you volunteered to help me." He pointed out. Daphne flashed him a quick, shy smile before she dipped her quill, ready to take down whatever he was going to dictate to her. The deal they had struck was that Draco would dictate what he wanted his essay to say to Daphne, who would write it all down. On one of her sulkier visits, Pansy had suggested a quick-quotes quill, but Draco told her right away that they were all sold out in Hogsmead and that his parents were too busy with the case against the Hippogriff that attacked him to buy him a new quill. Daphne thought this sounded a bit suspicious, since his mother still had the time to send him sweets everyday as usual, but said nothing since it gave her the opportunity to be alone with him.

"What's with you and Pansy?" she asked randomly when he took a break in his dictation to find another page. Draco looked over the book at her oddly before he went back to scanning the book.

"Nothing. Why, did you think there was something?" he drawled, clearly not too interested in the topic.

"Well, Blaise seems to think so... as does the rest of the house. Pansy practically lives at your side, but you don't seem to notice her." Daphne remarked, feeling her cheeks go a light shade of scarlet.

"Blaise would say something like that." Draco muttered. "I haven't made up my mind on what to do about her yet. I've written to my father to see what he'll say."

"Do you ask him about everything?" she said quickly, and then regretted it, thinking it may have been a bit too forward.

"Of course I do! He's the only competent and capable wizard I know!" Draco said seriously, giving her a much sterner look overtop of the book. "Besides, my family would never stand for me embarrassing myself, so I prefer to ask their permission in almost everything, as to make sure I'm living up to my family name."

"Oh right... that makes sense." Daphne mumbled quietly. Draco looked over the book again at her, as if he was trying to see if she had any visual signs of madness. Instead, then only thing he would have seen were her bright red cheeks and her eyes evading his.

"What do you think I should do?" he asked. Daphne felt her chest tighten; she couldn't think for a moment. If she told him not to date her, then she might get her chance... unless he guessed that that was her motive and chose to ignore her because of it. _Think think think!! _She shouted in her head _What can you say to him that won't sound like a lie or a desperate plea?!  
_  
"I think you should choose for yourself." She managed at last. "Your family may have a great influence on your decision, but when it comes down to it, you're the one dating her."

"So you think no?" he asked, a little confused by her answer.

"No, I never said that! I only meant that the final decision should be yours." Daphne said quickly, trying not to sound too obvious.

"Ok, I will... But what is your opinion? Or do you have a better idea on who I should do out with" he asked again, now looking back at the book, casually reading.  
Daphne felt the silence grow thick between them as she pondered an answer again. She knew that either way, she was going to have to either lie through her teeth or create an enemy out of Pansy Parkinson, which was not wise for anyone to do.

"I, uh..." she started, clearing her throat awkwardly "I like Pansy, but I don't think any of us are... mature enough to be dating now..." she rambled. _Why are you saying this!? You're ruining your own chances too! _She scolded herself again.

"Not mature?" he repeated, eyeing her oddly. He almost looked slightly offended.

"Well, I mean, do you really know _how_ to keep a girlfriend..." she replied, trailing off a bit at the end. _Good job Daphne... now you look like a complete moron. _"You know what, just forget I even mentioned it; it's not my business anyways..." she said, trying to end and change the subject once and for all; there was no way she could talk about this without the conversation ending badly. "Where did we leave off? Right, you were saying 'if your potion turns bright orange instead of bright green, it means you've added too many rat spleens or leech juice.'" She continued.  
He glanced at her, chuckling a little at her sudden change in conversation, and then found his place again in the book, returning to reciting his essay for her to copy down.

"I still can't believe you had the nerve to ask him that in the first place." Tracey laughed as she paid the waitress for her butterbeer. It was the first weekend at Hogsmead, and Daphne and Tracey had managed to escape everyone else and hid away in the Three Broomsticks.

"Well, it certainly wasn't one of my brightest moments of life." Daphne sighed, taking a sip of her own drink. Having just retold Tracey the events of only a few nights before, Tracey was now taking the time to ridicule and advise Daphne .

"Well, what did he look like when you said that?" she asked.

"Merlin, I don't remember! I was trying to hide my own face after I said that, let alone try and read his!" Daphne groaned, taking another sip of her drink. She hadn't dared to look at Draco since, and because his arm was now better, she no longer had to help him write out his homework. "I can't believe I asked him that! And I asked him if he asks his father for permission for everything! Oh, what an idiot I am... I may as well call myself a dimwitted troll from now on."

"Oh, c'mon Daphne! It isn't that bad! I mean, you could have offered yourself as his replacement."

"No, I told him that none of us were mature enough to date yet, if you can believe _I _would say that!" Daphne glanced around the pub "Afterall, there aren't people our age that are dating already, aren't they?"

"Not many, so you had a good point. But we know that Draco isn't one to really follow the rules." Tracey pointed out.

"Except his father's..." Daphne mumbled. "With my luck, he'll write back and tell him that he should date her or something... "

"Well, at least you made a move!" Tracey told her, pausing for a moment "Well, not _that _move, but you offered to help him! You're gaining ground already!"

"Ground to where!? And I can only imagine the things Pansy is helping him with..." Daphne muttered, glancing around the pub again. To her horror, Pansy and Draco were now there, and steadily walking towards them "Oh no! Here they come!"

"Hello Daphne, Tracey." Draco said as he helped himself to the seat beside Tracey. Pansy did the same and pushed herself onto the seat beside Daphne.

"Hey!" Daphne said a little too brightly. Tracey rolled her eyes and stifled a giggle.

"What are you two hiding in here for? The candy shop down the street has a big sale on now." Pansy announced, holding up a giant bag of candy for them to see. "Draco bought it for me, isn't he sweet?"

"Yes, very." Daphne said quietly. "Well, perhaps we will go to Honeydukes-"

"I'm not done my drink." Tracey said, eyeing Daphne.

"Fine, hurry up. We don't have a lot of time left." Daphne said reluctantly.

"You know, I'm surprised that they even let us come here, what with Sirius Black on the loose." Draco said after he ordered a drink for himself. Pansy pouted a little when she had to pay for her own drink.

"But the Dementors are all over; it's not like he's going to just waltz up to the bar and ask for a drink." Tracey said, taking a very deliberately small sip of her butterbeer.

"True, but apparently they don't affect him too much. How else would he have gotten out if they did?" Draco retaliated. "All I know is that if I saw Black in the streets, I'd ask him what he's looking for and point him in the right direction." He added in a lower voice so that no one around would here. Daphne and Tracey looked at him like he was insane, but Pansy only smirked.

"Not afraid of anyone, are you Draco?" she said in a low voice.

"I like to think so." He added before he took a giant swig of his drink. Daphne looked at Tracey and then moved her eyes towards the door. Tracey deliberately then turned to the waitress who was walking buy and ordered another drink for her and Daphne.

"Does anyone know why Sirius Black escaped?" Daphne asked, finishing her current drink.

"No one. Except Black, of course." Draco said, looking around the pub "My father told me that he was the one who was arrested for giving up Potter parents to You-know-who. He reckons that he's coming to finish off the whole family or something."

"What, come after Potter? Really?" Pansy asked, a little too loudly. Draco shoved her elbow and told her to keep it down.

"Why not? He caused the Dark Lord to lose all his power, which in turn lost Sirius everything too! I mean, if I were him, I'd go after Scarhead too!" Draco said quietly.

"But to come all the way to Hogwarts? Why not just wait until he goes home for the summer to live with those Muggles or something? He'll be easy pickings then." Tracey wondered.

"Well, Black isn't exactly an easy man to miss. I mean, his face is plastered all over every building and newspaper in Britain. It's only a matter of time before someone catches him again, so he's got to do it fast, right?"

"You're so smart Draco." Pansy said, her eyes glazed over with longing; Daphne had to grip her hands onto her chair to prevent her from pushing Pansy off hers.

"Well, do you think he'll be able to get into the school?" Daphne managed as she tried to fight off the urge to attack Pansy.

"I doubt it. He probably thinks he'll get him out here or something. Too bad he can't go." Draco said, taking another swig of his drink.

"Not allowed?" Tracey asked, taking the drinks that had just arrived from the bar.

"No, those muggles he lives with didn't sign his form. I heard him asking McGonagall if she would sign his it, but she told him no." Draco explained

"Poor little Potter isn't going to get any candy." Pansy mused, smirking like a cat. Daphne smiled as well at the thought of Potter being cooped up in the school all by himself, waiting for his friends to get back.

"And neither are we if we don't leave soon." Daphne announced, standing from the table.

"We have to finish our drinks." Tracey said, smirking at Daphne again.

"Fine." Daphne said stubbornly, picking up the drink and draining the cup into her mouth. In a matter of second, the glass was empty and she was ready to go.

"Impressive." Draco remarked before taking a drink of his own butterbeer.

"Gross." Pansy muttered under her breath.

"Shall I meet you there?" Daphne asked, pulling her black sweater on; her jeans and green tunic would have normally been sufficient if it weren't a fairly cold day.

"No, I'm coming just hold on." Tracy sighed "I've never met anyone so anxious to leave a pub for a candy store." She added as she too pulled on her sweater. "See you two back in the common room."

When they exited the pub, Tracey took another opportunity to laugh at Daphne.  
"Well, if looks could kill, Pansy would be dead by now." She said, taking Daphne's arm.

"Yes, and I thank you for forcing me to sit through that!" Daphne whined.

"Well, you can't escape them forever; they do live in the same house as us." Tracey said, leading her down the street and into Honeydukes. "Besides, how can you learn how to weasel your way in there if you know nothing about your competition?" she added, patting Daphne's hand patronizingly.

"What? Like that helped me at all?" Daphne laughed, reaching for the door of the shop.

"Well, we already know that Pansy clearly cannot chug and entire glass of butterbeer, which gives you points in the drinking games category." She teased.

"Victory!" Daphne replied sarcastically, opening the shop door, ready to indulge herself in sweets galore.

That night, after the Halloween feast that filled all the students with lots of food and candy, they all headed back to their dormitories. Pansy was feeling in a particularly good mood, and continued to refer to the story over and over again as the girls got ready for bed that night.  
"... He's just been so sweet these past few days. I'm starting to think that we might actually become a serious couple!" she said, squealing with glee with Millicent as she jumped onto her bed. Tracey and Daphne exchanged looks.

"So he bought you candy? What else has he done?" Daphne asked in a low voice. Pansy looked at Daphne carefully, like she was sizing her up, then walked over to her bed.

"Well, first he offered to walk with me down to Hogsmead, leaving Crabbe and Goyle to walk behind us. Then he bought me the candy at Honeydukes, and at dinner he saved me a seat beside him! I just can't believe the change that he's gone through since his arm was healed."

"Neither can we." Tracey smirked from over at her bed. Daphne smiled at Pansy in agreement and then pulled her pyjamas out from under her pillow.

"I'm going to be the envy of every girl in Hogwarts." Pansy sang as she gazed at herself in the mirror beside the door. Daphne tried to ignore her as she pulled on her purple flannel pants and her yellow long-sleeved shirt and tied up her red waves into a pony tail. Pansy continued to babble about how much she loved Draco and how she could imagine their future together after they finished school, and Tracey made a gagging face behind her hand.

Suddenly, there was someone pounding at the door. All the girls jumped and stared at the door. Thoughts of Sirius Black ran through Daphne's head, and she felt her pulse grow faster.  
"Girls, get your pillows and follow me!" called their Slytherin Prefect from outside the door.

"What? Why!?" Pansy shouted, not happy that she had to pull her perfectly organized bed out of order.

"Just do it! And quickly!" the girl called, and then they could hear her footsteps running further down the hall towards the next dorm.

"What's this all about?" Millicent wondered aloud as she grabbed her pillow and slippers and opened the door. Outside, all the Slytherin girls were filing past towards the common room. Daphne, now worried and curious, grabbed her own pillow and slippers and ran to catch up with the others.

When she got to the common room, the room was filled with the entire house, all of them whispering and rubbing their eyes sleepily. Daphne found the boys from her year and ran over to talk to them.  
"What's going on?" she asked them.

"Dunno; all the prefects got us out of bed and made us come down here. Boy, when my father hears about how rudely..." Draco replied spitefully, but she wasn't really paying attention anymore; she took a moment to note that he was wearing what appeared to be black, silk pyjamas, and they looked fantastic on him

"Draco! What's happening? Why are we all here?" Pansy breathed, trying to put on a show of fear.

"No idea." He repeated, his tone a little more annoyed this time. "There's Snape. I'll bet he's going to tell us." He added, pointing across the room towards the head of house, who had just strode in.

"You will all follow me to the Great Hall. There has been a security breech, and for your safety, you're all going to sleep in the Great Hall tonight." He announced. The entire room started to whisper in frantic.

"Do you think it's Black?" Tracey said quietly to Draco, who didn't look like he wanted to talk about the escaped mass murderer at that point in time; he now looked slightly white with fear.

"You will all be sleeping by house, and boys and girls will sleep on opposite sides of the room." Snape added, which a 7th year yelled something rather vulgar about keeping each other warm, which Snape gave a warning glance. "Now follow me, and stick close." He added before he turned around and headed towards the door. There was a brief moment where no one moved, and then the entire house all flooded forward, trying to stay as close to their head of house as possible.

That night was the most uncomfortable sleep Daphne had ever endured. The make-shift beds that the staff had made for all the students were nothing short of useless, and Daphne spent the whole night shivering under the small blanket that they had given her. Before they were all instructed to sleep, and the Great Hall was still filing in with students by house and sex, Daphne caught sight of Astoria, who was huddled up beside her roommates in a corner. She looked up and caught Daphne's eyes for a moment, and then looked away quickly, clearly ashamed of whatever emotion she was showing.  
As Daphne listened to the sounds of people snoring and talking in their sleep, she wondered how the rest of Hogwarts could sleep so soundly; did no one else realise that there was a crazed killer running around the school? That he could burst into this very room and slaughter everyone in their sleep? _Clearly, some people have no sense of reality..._ Daphne thought as she pulled her blanket tightly around her, shivering at her own thoughts. When her eyes finally did fade shut, she found that she could still here distant whispered conversations. She focused her attention on the whispering voices, and found that she could pick out only a few words.  
"...like Daphne?"  
Daphne felt her eyes open and she slowly rolled in the direction of the voice, hiding her face behind her blanket. She couldn't see who was talking, but she could tell that it was across the room in the boys section. She felt her heart skip a beat as she started to ponder if it was Draco or not. At this point, Snape was passing by on his rounds, and she couldn't catch the last part of the conversation, nor the person's response to their suggestion. Sighing to herself when there was no sound after Snape had passed, she admitted herself back into a nervous sleep... this time for different reasons.

For months, she didn't make any advances on Draco (despite the advice from Tracey), nor did she lose any ground. She was quite content with being the close girl-friend until she felt she was ready to date him seriously, and then she would surely beat Pansy out of the running's.  
Although she kept the outward appearance of being one of Pansy's closest friends, and hung out with her every chance they had, she was inwardly plotting her demise. She noted everything that she hated (like how she hated being forced to watch Hogwarts Quidditch games, even though Draco was on the team, and that her family were all sick of the Dark Lord and his failed plans). These were facts that she revealed in complete confidence to her roommates, but Daphne knew that facts like this could bring her down just enough to have Draco chose her.  
"But that won't be for year, I would imagine." Daphne explained as her and Tracey walked to class together one day.

"If you say so." Tracey shrugged.

"What does that mean?" Daphne demanded, tightening her grip on her books.

"Well, I can't imagine you lying in wait for an uncertain number of months, or even years. For all we know, Lucius may tell him he's not allowed to date or something."

"You don't seriously think he would do that, do you? He's almost 14!"

"And not an adult yet." Tracey pointed out "And Draco would do anything to please his father."

"Well, then I'll just have to prove to his father that I am a better girlfriend then Pansy." Daphne said stiffly, tossing her red waves over her shoulder.

"By doing what? Offering to take Lucius out for dinner?" Tracey laughed.

"No, I'm going to offer to go to tea with my father this summer, and I'll introduce myself as she sweetest, classiest, and smartest match he could ever find for his son. And of course I'll visit Draco while I'm there."

"And how do you intend on pulling that off? You're just going to ask your dad if you can come?" Tracey asked, interested in how her plan would work.

"No, something much more interesting." Daphne smiled "My father has never told me what it is he does for Lucius. I'll ask him one day, and he'll of course tell me that he can't tell me, and then I'll sigh and say 'Oh, I just thought that if you were always working with Lucius that I might get a chance to see Draco', and he'll naturally get the hint that we're friends."

"Yes, but you'll still have to invite yourself over to the Malfoy Manor, which I think is frowned upon by most wizarding households." Tracey warned her lightly.

"Well, I'll let my father figure out the date and time! I don't care when it is, I just need to meet Lucius, present myself as lovely young lady" Daphne flipped her hair dramatically and smiled sweetly to show Tracey how she would do it "And then I'll get to visit Draco, uninterrupted."

"Well, I suggest you cut the hair thing; it's too obvious." Tracey laughed "And perhaps you want to tell Draco this in advance? Not the entire plan, but the fact that you might be visiting him this summer? He may want to know in advance so he doesn't get his plans with Pansy mixed up."

"Shut up, Tracey." Daphne frowned and smacked her lightly in the arm. "I swear, after I'm done this exam, I'm going to hex you into the sun!" she said, shaking her head and laughing quietly. Tracey laughed even harder at the empty threat and followed Daphne into their Transfiguration exam.

The last dinner of the year was that night, and all the students gathered for their year-end feast. Blaise was already complaining about having to go to Romania this summer to visit his mother's new fiancée, who was a Romanian Quidditch Player.  
"I've given up trying to learn their names; my mother changes fiancée's and husbands so often, there really is no point." He said as he passed the plate of chicken to Theodore, who Daphne felt she hadn't seen in weeks. He was hanging out with Blaise (if he hung out with anyone at all; he was spending most of his time studying in the library) instead on Tracey and Daphne, and although she had asked her several times about it, Tracey would never give Daphne a straight answer as to why.

"Do you even know who your father is, Zabini?" Pansy asked, her voice sounding sweet, but the meaning not-so sweet. Blaise gave her a dark look and ignored her.

"Advantage of this is that I get to see all the Romanian games, and I might get a chance to talk to Krum." He added smartly, making sure to give Draco a smug look.

"Krum eh? I'll probably see him at the Quidditch World Cup this year; the way that team is playing, they're bound to make it to the finals." Draco replied civilly. _Now's a good chance _Daphne thought, as did Tracey, who poked her in the thigh under the table.

"What else are you doing this summer?" Daphne asked lightly "I might be spending some time with my father to escape my mother and sister; perhaps we can meet up for an afternoon?" she said in a very calm and practiced manor; she and Tracey had been rehearsing that speech for a week before she could say it without blushing or stuttering.

"A few things: Quidditch World Cup, visiting my grandmother. I should be home otherwise." Draco said, not aware of the look that Pansy was giving Daphne. "I'll speak to my father about it; I'd give anything to have someone my own age around the house once in a while." He added, giving Daphne a feeling that could only be described as an anxious bliss.

"Excellent, I'll speak to mine as well." She said calmly before she turned back to her food. Pansy look frantically at Millicent, who shrugged her shoulders.

"I might visit too, Draco!" she said quickly so that Daphne could hear. She watched his reaction out of the corner of her eye, but pretending not to be listening.

"If you can find the time, sure." He answered, pouring himself a glass of pumpkin juice. Pansy's face expressed the horror and anger of being put off with such an easy phrase. Then, she turned her gaze at Daphne at gave her a look that could chill to the bone. When Daphne turned her head slowly and truly evaluated her look, she returned a smug smirk and then returned to her food once more.

"And so it begins..." mumbled Theodore across from her. Daphne looked up, surprised to see that he had seen that, but then Dumbledore stepped forward to announce the winners of the House Cup.  
_So it begins indeed..._

_**AN: REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!! **I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER IF YOU DO!! GOOD, BAD, UGLY; LET ME KNOW!!  
Also, for **LegoLover**: you may get what you asked for next chapter :)  
Loves._


	6. Year 4 Part 1

**_AN: I'm surprised at how fast I got this up... considering I've been obsessing over Breaking Dawn for the past 84 hours. But now I'm finished and I'm ready to continue with this fic (as well as the one I thought of while reading Breaking Dawn)  
Anyways, hope you enjoy it. It's my first me-made event. _**

When Daphne had suggested that she wanted to visit Draco, her father was surprisingly pleased with her interest.  
"I wasn't sure if you liked him that much. I mean, I can see why people like you would think he's spoiled or selfish, but he means well." Lennox said as he fixed his coat for work that day. Daphne stood beside the fireplace diligently, her heart pounding in her chest.

"No, I don't find Draco anything like that; we became very close after he was hurt in Care of Magical Creatures." Daphne said meekly, fixing her hair a little in the mirror above the mantle.

"Yes, Lucius told me about that; what a clever girl you are to do such a thing. You know that your new clothes are result of that; he gave me a big promotion after that." He said, giving her a rare, genuine smile. Daphne felt her own smile beam in return. Ever since Daphne had outted her sister for her 'loose' ways, as her father called it, he had been paying extra close attention to Daphne, praising her for how smart she was. Daphne knew this was because he wanted a spy for his youngest daughter, and who better than her own sister. Although she was enjoying being the favourite, she knew it was most likely temporary.

"What will you and Lucius be doing today?" she asked, pretending to be interested in whatever he would reply with.

"Oh, nothing you'd be interested in Daphne; Ministry stuff." Lennox replied in a patronizing voice. Daphne smiled sweetly, knowing what that meant; illegal stuff. It was one of Daphne's worst fears that someday her father, or worse Lucius, would be caught smuggling something or 'obtaining information' from someone, and he would be sent to Azkaban. Her mother, however, was only pleased with her husband when he came home with lots of money, which only happened when he did Lucius's dirty work. Thus, the endless cycle continued.

"Ready to go?" he asked, handing her the jar of Floo Powder. She nodded her head, feeling her heart beating even faster as she thought about going to the Malfoy Manor for the first time. Taking a big handful of powder, she watched her father go first, and then she followed shortly after, calling the same name as he.

When she popped out on the other side, she was shocked to see that the room ahead of her was evidently a library, covered every inch in books. If she had been in Ravenclaw, perhaps she would have gone mad with curiosity. But because she was in Slytherin, and had a plan in her head, she exited the room and into what appeared to be a gallery. All along the wide hallway were mirrors, statues, and moving portraits who watched her walk past curiously. One woman in a portrait, wearing a diamond tiara and a royal blue ball gown, asked her if she was lost.  
"Oh, uh, sort of. Have you seen Lucius or Draco? Or know where I can find them?" she asked, dusting the soot off her shirt.

"You mean my Grandson and Great-grandson?" she asked proudly "At this time, they would be in the dining room, eating lunch. Down to the end of the hall and to the left." She told her. Daphne thanked the woman and walked more briskly down in the direction she had been instructed.

She arrived at a door that was at least 10 feet high, made of the darkest wood she had ever seen. She wasn't sure if she should knock, or just walk in. Luckily for her, while she was thinking about what to do, she heard her father call her name from the opposite end of the hallway.  
"Which room did you end up in? I found myself in the drawing room." He asked as he walked over to where she was standing.

"The library, I would imagine." Daphne smiled a little "It was filled with books on every wall."

"That would make it a library then, wouldn't it?" Lennox remarked. "Fantastic house, isn't it?"

"Oh yes! It's amazing!" she said, looking up at the gold painted ceiling that was painted with pictures of centaurs and griffins battling.

"We're very lucky to be clients of Lucius Malfoy, and don't you ever forget it." He said, taking her arm firmly "Do not make me regret bringing you here today, and I'll buy you more clothes."

"You don't need to bribe me, father; I want to be here, remember?" Daphne said, slightly offended by his offer. "I'm not Astoria..." she added under her breath.

"Oh, right." He said, releasing her arm "Well, I hope you and Draco have fun then." He said, and then he pushed on the giant wooden door, revealing a room that could only be described as a ballroom with a giant table in the centre. The table, which was about half the length of the Hogwarts house tables, was made of solid oak, and had ornate legs of griffins again. There were about 24 chairs around the table, and at the far end, bellow a portrait of a knight (probably a Malfoy ancestor, Daphne thought) standing victorious over the fireplace, sat Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco.

"Ah, there you are Lennox." Lucius said casually as he sipped from a teacup, reading the Daily Prophet "Have you read the paper this morning? Usual trash, of course..." he added, drifting off in his own reading. Lennox walked swiftly over to his side so he could read whatever article it was together.

"Draco, you're friend is here too." Narcissa remarked, gently tapping his hand as he ate his lunch. Draco looked up from his plate and gave a small smile.

"Daphne, come sit." He called to her across the room. She silently nodded her head and walked over, taking a seat beside Draco, watching him eat for a few seconds.

"My Daphne, how you've grown; I haven't seen you since you were about 4." Narcissa said, picking up her own tea cup and looking at her over the top of it as she drank.

"Oh, uh, thanks?" Daphne replied nervously; she had never met Narcissa to her recollection, but decided that it was better to play along.

"And how are your mother and sister?" she added, setting the porcelain tea cup and saucer down on the table gently.

"They're fine. They're actually with my aunt in London right now; shopping adventure." She said, secretly annoyed that Draco's mother would bring them up.

"And you didn't want to go? Odd for a girl your age." Narcissa said lightly, reminding her for a moment of Pansy, with her secretly condescending tones.

"Oh, I have plenty of clothes for now. And I'd much rather spend my holidays at home, not traveling about the country spending my father's money." Daphne said shyly, rubbing her hands on her legs, feeling the material of her smooth new denim skirt under her hands. She had picked her outfit carefully, and had settled on a denim miniskirt and a green blouse with buttons up the front, which her father said brought out her eyes. _I certainly hope they do, _she remarked in her head at the time.

"Well, what do you children intend to do today? Your grandmother is coming over today, and I don't want to be disturbed, if you don't mind." Narcissa said gently to Draco, as if she was asking for his permission.

"Daphne's never been here; I was going to give her the grand tour of the house, and then maybe try out her broom skills or something." Draco said, evidently disinterested by his aunts visit.

"Well, make sure you're a good host to your friend." Narcissa reminded him gently, patting his hand again before she rose from the table, gave her husband a quick kiss goodbye, and floated out of the room.

"We'd best be off too." Lucius announced, folding his paper and snapping his fingers. In a flash, a house elf (evidently the replacement elf for the one Potter had lost for them) appeared and began to clear the table of the Malfoy's dishes "Make sure Minnie does a descent job, Draco. And don't bother your mother all day." Lucius said as he passed his son, tapping his cane on the floor as he walked past. Daphne nodded a goodbye to her father, and both her and Draco watched as their fathers left, leaving them alone for the first time in months.

"Merlin, I'm happy you're here." Draco sighed, pushing his food away from him and snapped his fingers; the house elf began to clear his plate "Between my mother flittering around with my crazy grandmother, and my father being all secretive in the library, I'm afraid my summer has been rather boring."

"Sounds better than mine," Daphne smiled "I have to deal with my sister all day, crying about whatever, and my mother consoling her..."

"Well, shall I give you the grand tour first? Or are you not interested in that at all?" he asked, standing from the table and throwing his napkin on his house elf's head. Daphne could think of about 7 things she would _like_ to do, but none of them were very civil or proper.

"Actually, I would love to see your house." She said, standing from the chair and fixing her skirt.

"Well, I should probably get dressed then." He smiled. Daphne now took notice that he was wearing those same black silk pyjama bottoms that he did at Halloween, and an old Quidditch World Cup sweater.

"Probably." She said quickly, before she pretended to be interested in something that was outside the French windows facing into the yard. _I really wish I control how often I blush! It's so obvious...  
_  
"Alright, follow me." He said, heading out the door at the opposite end of the room. Daphne stood there for a moment, wondering if he meant to show her his room already. Curiosity got the better of her, and she ran to catch up.

The Malfoy Manor was in the Malfoy family for generations, according to Draco, who half-heartedly pointed out famous relatives on the walls as they walked through the gallery hallway, towards the library.  
"... when the grandfather died, he left my father this house. And of course, I get it after my father." He said casually as he rounded a corner that Daphne did not see earlier, revealing a giant, marble staircase that led up to the bedrooms. "No one but a Malfoy and their spouses has ever spent more than 3 nights in this house." He added as he climbed the stairs. Daphne followed, amazed that he knew all this information on his own family and house; she could barely remember her great-grandparents names. "So, on the left and right you have the guest rooms, if we should ever need them." Draco said, walking down the hall and only raising his hands lazily at the doors as he passed. " At the end of the hall on the right is my parents room; obviously we can't go in there." He added, pointing at a door in the distance, almost hidden by the light that was streaming in the window that went from the ceiling to the floor at the end of the hall. "And this is my room." He said, sounding a little more interested as he opened the door and walked in. Daphne froze at the threshold; was she supposed to follow, or wait for him to change? "You can come in." Draco laughed.

"Oh, uh, thanks." She said, feeling her cheeks go a little pink. She stepped into his room and felt her jaw drop. "Wow!" was the only thing she could think of to describe it.

"What?" he asked as he was digging clothes out from a massive wardrobe that was about as wide as Daphne's bed was long. Everything in the room was massive; his bed was at least a king, and it had a giant canopy atop its four-posts; he had his own stone fireplace in the corner, with dark blue leather couches and mahogany end tables; and in the other corner, there was his own miniature library, complete with a mahogany desk, a leather arm chair, and bookshelves that reached the top of the 9 foot ceiling.

"Your room is about the size of an entire dorm room!" she said, shaking her head in amazement as she now noticed about 4 brooms propped up against a window, which was actually a French door, leading out to his own balcony. _And his room is about as valuable as my entire house... _she thought, still shaking her head a little.

"Try the bed." He said as he dug through the wardrobe a little more.

"What!?" she flustered, feeling her cheeks go scarlet again. _Did he really just ask me to 'try his bed'? _

"Try it; jump on it or something. Trust me, it's worth it." He repeated, apparently un-phased by her reaction. "I'm going to change in here." He said, pulling clothes out of the wardrobe. Daphne was sure she was going to faint, but then he walked towards a doorway that was hidden by a royal blue curtain, evidently the bathroom. _Calm down! You're going to give yourself away when he takes one look at you! _She told herself as she walked slowly towards his bed _So, this is where Draco sleeps..._ With no further hesitation, she jumped onto the bed and felt like she had landed in heaven; it was the softest, and yet firmest mattress she had ever felt!

"Draco, this is amazing!" she called, lying on her back and closing her eyes; she could spend an eternity in this bed, _Especially if it's with him... _she blinked and shook her head a little _Wow, that was a little wicked! _She scolded herself a little.

"I know, right? Father had it made by elves somewhere in Sweden; it's one-of-a-kind... well, except for the one my parents have." He said, throwing his clothes on the floor beside the bed and leaning against one of the four-posts. "So, are you going to spend the whole day testing out my bed, or do you want a tour of the grounds?" he smirked.

"I suppose I should take a tour of the grounds." She sighed a little as she attempted to climb out of the bed without messing up the sheets that were made.

"Don't worry, I'll get Minnie to fix it." He said once she was off the bed. "Want to see the forest?"

"Are there any big creatures in it?" Daphne asked automatically, recalling that perhaps he had never heard the speech about her being terrified on anything bigger than a normal dog.

"Define 'big'." He said, tilting his head as he thought for a moment "We have peacocks, and there may be a stag in there or something, but nothing the size of a dragon, if that's what you're asking."

"Alright, I guess I can deal with a peacock." She sighed, glancing out the window that she passed as they walked out of the room; the forest was dark green and brown, looking rather sinister. _Get a hold of yourself, Daphne. Remember what father said; not every forest has a giant, bloodthirsty creature lurking in the trees.  
_It didn't help her feel much better...

The Malfoy's had a property that could rival that of the Royal Family; ponds with rare migratory birds, with intricate fountains in the centre; a marble pavilion that with a glass roof that made most people's houses look shabby; a forest that was practically stolen out of a painting. Draco certainly was living in a fairy tale of riches and privilege, which was something Daphne could only imagine experiencing.  
"How do you feel about peacocks again?" he asked, not slowing his footsteps for a moment.

"I'm good with most birds, thank you." Daphne said quietly, looking up ahead at the small mound that looked like snow.

"Good, because here's one now." Draco said, clapping his hands to wake the bird into attention. The white bird jumped, startled by its rude awakening, and flexed his pure white feathers at the challenge. Daphne was quite taken aback by the perfection of the bird, and felt a small, amazed smile cross her lips. "Father loves these things. Never understood why."

"Because they're beautiful?" Daphne pointed out, a small laugh at the end.

"It's a bird, Daph, not a human." Draco chuckled.

"Please don't call me that." She said in a low tone, barely audible.

"Why not?" he laughed lightly, teasing a little.

"Because what can I call you in my defence? Drakey-poo?" Daphne teased back.

"Ew! Please never say that again."

"My point exactly." She smiled, satisfied that she had managed to get her point across.

"Well, how can you and my father say that something like this, a bird with a big, bushy tail, is beautiful? It's a _bird_." Draco asked, tossing a piece of whatever food he had stashed in his pocket at the animal, which gracefully walked over and picked it up.

"Some of us understand the true beauty of nature. I'm glad your father and I share that gift." Daphne smirked. Draco only rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Guess who?" he grumbled, nodding his head towards the front gate. Daphne had automatically that perhaps it was her father, coming to fetch her home already. Then the idea of Pansy crashing their party came next, which made her temper flare a bit. Instead, she saw a woman, wearing a long, blood red dress that dragged on the ground, and long gray hair tied back with a jewelled clip "Good old Grandmother Druella" he groaned "No doubt my mother will soon call us inside and demand that we sit in the drawing room and listen to them yap about the Dark Lord all afternoon."

"They're going to make _both_ of us sit there?" Daphne whined, not really wanting to meet his grandmother, who was most likely as ridgid as her daughter.

"If we're lucky, they'll just forget we're here." Draco said, craning his neck to see the old lady go into the house. "Let's go in here; she'll never come out here looking for us." He said, taking off into the trees. Daphne protested, but he didn't listen.

"Damn it." She mumbled to herself as she also ran in the same direction as him.

When she finally caught up to him, he was sitting high up in a tree that hung over a small brook. Panting, she leaned against the trunk of the massive tree, her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.  
"That was pretty sudden." She managed between breaths. Draco hardly noticed; he was staring ahead at the view through the parted trees.

"Come up here." He said, nodding his head towards the low branch that he had evidently climbed, Daphne looked at it, a little wary of having to climb up in a skirt. _Oh well. If it gets me closer to Draco..._ she thought as she hoisted herself up onto the branch and managed to join Draco on the large limb overhanging the water. She stared ahead and saw what he had been staring at; far off in the distance were the large, ancient landmarks of Stonehenge, built as a primitive means of Astronomy by early wizards (as they had learned in History of Magic).

"Cool. Nothing exciting is near St. Edmundsbury." Daphne sighed as she gripped a branch above her head for support as she stood on the limb beside Draco.

"We could fly over if it was night. To Stonehenge, that is. But I'm afraid flying in broad daylight is frowned upon by the ministry" he said, perhaps more to himself.

"Our fathers used to do it all the time; that's where all the ghost stories of 'ancient spirits haunting the site' are from. It was really my father and his friends, making noises and throwing things about." He smirked. Daphne cocked one of her eyebrows and looked at him quizzically.

"That place has been haunted for hundreds, if not thousands, of years; you can't tell me your father is responsible for _all _the strange activity." She replied smartly, chuckling to herself with amusement.

"You forget my family has lived here for hundreds, if not _thousands_, of years." Draco smirked, looking up at her as she still stood beside him "Where do you think my father got the idea? And my Grandfather before him? Trying to keep the damn Muggles away. Of course, they seem far too interested to stay away."

"Well, when you put it like that..." Daphne mumbled as she knelt down and sat on the limb beside him. "So what do you do with all your time here? Aside from terrorize the locals." Daphne sighed, not taking the time to look down from their height; _we have to be at least 24 feet in the air! _She thought, panicking. "And climb unthinkably high in trees!" she added, gripping the limb she sat on a little tighter.

"I probably should have told you not to look down, but I thought you had more sense." He chuckled to himself. "Well, there is one other thing I do..." he said in a low voice, pulling out his wand and shouting an incantation. Daphne missed what exactly he yelled because she very nearly fell off the branch when he waved his wand.

"Sorry, I missed that. What did you say?" she said feebly as she tried to rebalance herself on the limb.

"Just wait." He said slyly.

"I'm not sure I can!" she shouted as she felt herself lose the battle, and she fell backwards from her perch, down about 12 feet to the ground.

Daphne hadn't known that she had knocked herself out until she felt her eyes blinking the bright sunlight that filtered down onto her from between the leaves. The first sensation that came after the feeling of warmth was the throbbing pain of her back, and then the matching feeling in her head.  
"That looked painful." Draco said, stepping into the light now and smirking a little bit.

"A little." Daphne grumbled as she attempted to sit up. She was happy that none of her bones were broken, and nothing felt sprained or twisted. "How did I manage that?" she wondered aloud, flexing her fingers and turning her neck slowly to make sure everything was in working order.

"Lucky you picked the pile of leaves and mud to fall on or you would have had a broken back." Draco pointed out, holding his hand out to help her up.

"Lucky..." she mumbled to herself. She repeated what he said in her head and felt a bit of anger rise up in her "_Mud!?_" she breathed, turning her neck a little too fast to look at her behind; she felt a crack pass through that sent a sharp pain down her body "OW!" she shouted in pain, holding her neck with her hand "Oh, this is _perfect!_ I'm covered in mud, my neck messed up..." she paused and watched Draco chuckling to himself "And you seem to find my pain _hilarious_." She said, narrowing her eyes, very annoyed by his reaction. He now burst out laughing and pointed at her hips, and she now noticed that her denim skirt was hiked up on one side, stuck together with the paste like mud. Daphne yanked it into place and felt her cheeks go hot pink. "Thanks." She grumbled irritably.

"I've got brooms." Draco laughed, holding out two broomsticks "That's what I called before you decided to drop out of the sky." He teased, handing her his old Comet 260. Daphne looked at it curiously for a moment and then glanced at the one he had; it was of course his Nimbus 2001.

"And what do you propose I do with this broom with a broken back?" she grumbled as she examined how the handle had several chips in the side. Daphne wouldn't have been surprised if he had put them in himself to convince his father that he needed a new broom... along with the rest of the Slytherin team.

"Play Shuntbumps? Surely your back can't be that bad; you were only about 10 feet up." He teased. Daphne widened her eyes at him like he was insane.

"_Shuntbumps?" _she repeated, her eyes wide with disbelief " I just fell out of a tree and you want us to try and knock each other off our brooms?!"

"Oh, c'mon! You can't be hurt _that_ bad!" he rolled his eyes and mounted his broom "This is why we don't let girls play on our team; they're too wimpy." He added with a smirk as he took off into the air above the trees

"Excuse me!" Daphne scoffed, mounting the broom at that comment and shot after him "I'm going to make you regret that comment, even if I break my back trying!" she hissed as she chased after him.

By the time the sun was setting, Draco and Daphne has spent most of the afternoon either attempting to wrestle each other off their brooms (which Narcissa shrieked at them to stop from the balcony, for fear Draco would get hurt), and then tried racing in circles around the backyard, still kicking and pulling at each other each time they passed one another. Daphne had beat him at the first race, having kicked his broom hard enough to steer him off course for the split second she needed to get ahead. But by the last round, Draco had completely yanked her off her broom, causing her to skid along the ground, adding grass stains to her already filthy clothes.  
"Because _that_ wasn't unfair at all." She called to him as she flew back. He laughed and landed his broom, picking up the other one as he passed it.

"Don't be a sore loser, Daph." He smirked. Daphne smirked and took the opportunity to launch at him, throwing him to the ground. As he tried to wrestle free, she managed to snatch his wand from his back pocket and pointed it at his face.

"What did I tell you about calling me that?" she said, her eyes glaring but her mouth smirking. He tried to snatch it back from her, but she threw herself on top of his chest, holding down his arms with her knees. "Hmm? I didn't hear you? What did I say about calling me _Daph_, Drakey-poo?" she asked, laughing a little as he struggled. She pointed his wand at him threateningly. Draco stopped trying to squirm out of her pin and sighed in defeat, then started to laugh.

"_Not_ to call you Daph?" he said, also glaring and smirking all at once. Daphne let up her hold a little, satisfied with his response. Now Draco took the chance to overthrow her, sitting up so fast that he knocked her back onto her back; now he was sitting on her chest, the same maniacal look that she had, and was holding his wand again. "Might I suggest you not try that again, _Daph_ne?" he offered smartly. Daphne struggled to get free, but found that his weight was just in the right spot that she was utterly helpless.

This was also the moment she realize how bad this looked. She felt her cheeks going a little pink, and she tried to squirm out from underneath him.  
"Draco, get off!" she laughed awkwardly "This looks much worse than it did before." She said, nodding her head towards the house so he would catch the hint. He glanced at the house and stared for a moment, then stood slowly and offered his hand again to help her up.

"Like my mother would do anything." He laughed, handing her a broom to carry "Although with the state of your clothes, she may jump to a variety of conclusions." He smirked, taking a few steps ahead of her as he headed back towards the house.  
Daphne took the moment to breathe again; she had been having so much fun until that moment that she had almost forgotten how awkward, and yet fulfilling, playing with him like that had been. And Draco had a very valid point; their parents were going to wonder what they were up to with her being so dirty.

"Well, let's hope that I can get some of this out before my father comes..." she said as she caught up to him. Draco said noting at first, his gaze fixed on the balcony ahead.

"Too late." He said, nodding his head towards the house. There, on the balcony, stood Lennox and Lucius, watching them as they crossed the lawn. Daphne felt her cheeks go red again with embarrassment and her chest tighten for fear of the oncoming confrontation. _He's probably think I'm a brute if he saw me wrestling him like that! And when he sees how dirty I am, he'll jump to the completely wrong conclusion, as usual. _she thought frantically, trying to remember to breathe as she walked in time with Draco, who was heading towards a small back door, which she assumed was a coat room or something.

Once they were inside the little area that could be described as no bigger than a closet, Draco put the brooms into a cupboard in the corner and took off his muddy shoes. He looked at Daphne and laughed to himself "I would tell you to take off your muddy shoes, but I don't think it makes much difference." He said, snapping his fingers. Minnie appeared at once and glanced at Daphne with a look of bewilderment, she ran around her once, her tiny old (what had once been a placemats, Daphne gathered) make-shift dress flapping as she moved. Then, with a snap of her fingers, she watched as she mud and leaves dissolved off her clothes and skin, leaving only faint traces of green from the grass stains. As soon as the house-elf cracked a small smile to Draco, their parents appeared from the inside hallway. Narcissa was flittering around behind Lucius, trying to peer around him to make sure Draco was alright. Lucius and Lennox looked slightly amused, much to Daphne's surprise.

"Having fun out there?" Lennox teased, clapping his hand on his daughters shoulder. She flinched a little at the action, but gave him a weak, agreeing smile.

"Daphne and I were having a little disagreement over nicknames." He smirked to her. Daphne shook her head slowly and narrowed her eyes.

"I think he learned his lesson." She teased with a dark voice.

"Well you didn't need to tear each other apart!" Narcissa breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that there wasn't a scratch on her son. "Not to mention tearing about the yard trying to wrench each other off brooms!" she added, looking to Lucius for some reinforcement.

"Draco, Daphne is a young lady; you shouldn't treat her like one of your boy friends." Lucius warned. Daphne stifled a small laugh when Lucius said 'boy friends', which she covered by a cough. Draco, however, caught the innuendo and narrowed his eyes warningly at Daphne.

"I wouldn't have if she didn't put up such a fight." Draco said, looking back to his father "She fights better than most guys I know."  
_  
So much for being a wimpy girl... _Daphne smiled to herself a little

Lennox let out a booming laugh that made Draco and Daphne jump a bit. "My daughter fighting like a boy? I always knew you would be like a son to me, Daphne." He said, pulling her into an awkward half-hug with his one arm. Daphne felt her cheeks going pink again.

"Great..." she mumbled as she watched Draco now trying to hold back a laugh.

"And where do you get all your practice?" Lucius asked, not really seeming amused by her actions.

"Surely not with Draco!" Narcissa chimed in from behind her husband.

"No, I have all the practice I need at home; a spoiled sister who needs dealing with." Daphne said, smirking at Draco because she knew how much she would get for that comment.

"Watch it, Daphne." Her father warned, no longer laughing. "Your sister is not spoiled."

"No father, she deserves _everything_ she gets..." she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes to Draco, who was trying not to laugh with her.

"That's enough, Daphne." He warned again, griping her arm firmer. "Well Lucius, I think we'll be heading off now." Lennox announced graciously. Daphne rolled her eyes and waved a small goodbye to Draco.

"Come back soon, please. I get bored enough here without someone my age to talk to." Draco said, not meeting his parents eyes.

"I'm glad you think so highly of us, Draco." His mother said stiffly. "And your grandmother is waiting to see you."

"Joy..." he mumbled as he was led off by his mother. Lucius stayed behind to give Lennox instructions for tomorrow, but Daphne was barely listening; she was watching Draco shuffle away with his graceful mother. She had a great day with him, and although it was rather short, she would have gladly endured falling out of a hundred trees to do it again. She was now confident of their friendship, and felt that she had the advantage she needed to steal him away from Pansy.  
_It will take a bit of planning, and a lot of practice with Tracey, but I'm sure it can be done now. I have more stories and activities to laugh with about then she certainly will. _She thought, smirking at the thought of bringing Pansy down a notch or 5...

"C'mon Daphne, let's get moving. Your mother is waiting for us." Lennox instructed, pushing her in the direction of the drawing room.

They disappeared from the Malfoy Manor via Floo Powder, and as Daphne felt the green flames take her away, she felt her mind working, planning out how she would make this home her own someday...

**_AN:Next up: Year 4; Quidditch World Cup, Slytherin girls plotting against Beauxbatons, finding dates for the Yule Ball, and the Yule Ball itself. REVIEW!! I will love you guys all the more for it :)_**


	7. Year 4 Part 2

**_AN: For starters, thanks to all those who reviewed! You get a virtual cookie!  
Second, this is kinda a filler chapter until I get to the Yule Ball...which will be very interesting to write.  
Third, I'm getting closer to moving back to school, so my updates may be a little slower... but they will still be coming!! I am so determined to finish this story by the time the 6th movie is released that I will sacrafice sleep and eatting to do it!  
Still don't own Harry Potter... damn it!_**

"You would think that Dumbledore would have more sense and put some windows in these things!" Tracey complained as the sleeve of her robes got wet from the pouring rain. The self-drawing carriage was teetering up the muddy hill as usual, brining Daphne and the others to their 4th year.

"So you didn't tell me why you changed your mind to not go to the Qudditch World Cup." Theodore asked across from Daphne, also leaning as far as he cold away from the window.

"It wasn't my decision," Daphne pointed out lightly "My darling sister snuck out to meet some friends and got caught about 2 days before. My father thought it was only necessary that he apparently punish us both."

"What, were _you _supposed to stop her from sneaking out?" Tracey sniffed stiffly, looking out the window again.

"Pretty much. No, the exact words when I asked were 'you should be a better influence on her, and the only way to do that is keep our family home' or some nonsense. He probably just had to work that day." Daphne said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Ireland is my favourite team! I was so furious to miss my chance to see them play!"

"Yeah, well, you lucked out on missing a couple things from that night." Blaise chuckled "I mean, I personally didn't enjoy running away in the middle of the night to escape people like Malfoy and Nott's fathers-"

"My father wasn't there." Theodore said sternly, narrowing his eyes as he gave Blaise a sideways glance.

"Yeah yeah, sure thing." Blaise said disinterested "Point is, I had to run with my mother half way across a county in the middle of the night! With thousands of other people too!"

"It's a good thing you wear pyjamas to bed then, isn't it?" Theodore pointed out quietly. Now Blaise narrowed his eyes at him.

"Well, I'm not exactly mourning the fact that I missed _that_ part of the games... I also heard that someone set off the Dark Mark?" Daphne continued, trying to ignore the boys and their jibes at each other.

"Yeah, but they have no idea who." Tracey said, accepting that the conversation now only included themselves. "Freaky looking thing though... I mean, I always thought people were just terrified of what it was a symbol for. But now that I've seen it, it gives me the chills by just how creepy it is!"

"Sure to make an excellent Death Eater, you are." Daphne teased, taking her wand out and pointing it at her arm.

"Fat chance!" Tracey laughed with her, taking her arm and fighting it off her. They giggled as they playfully fought each other off.

"You shouldn't joke about those things." Theodore said in a low and serious voice. Both girls froze and looked at their two other passengers who were looking at them very sternly.

"Sensitive for Death Eaters, Theodore?" Tracey remarked, locking her eyes with his "A future career choice?"

"Never." He added fiercely "You think I want to end up in the mess my father did? I'm just saying that other students in this school, the idiot mudbloods who wouldn't know any better, may overhear and believe you."

Tracey let out a low whistle and then looked at Daphne "Subject change!" she said cheerfully "You still haven't told me about your visit to Draco." She said, that same knowing smirk watching her.

"Can we talk about it later?" she said quietly, her cheeks already turning slightly pink. Last thing she wanted was for Blaise and Theodore to hear this story.

"Oh, I get it! Too dirty to let them hear? Good for you Daphne!"

"No! It's not that!" she said frantically, looking at the guys now "Dirty in the actual physical _dirt_ way, but I just don't think the boys would care to hear-"

"Actually, I'd love to hear what goes on at the Malfoy Manor." Blaise smirked.

"Well, we're almost at school, so-"

"We have at least 5 minutes, Daphne." Tracey remarked after she looked out the window. Daphne sighed and crossed her arms, staring out the window on her side that faced the lake.

"It's nothing interesting! He showed me around the house, we walked through the forest, I fell out of a tree and got all muddy, and they we flew around on brooms for the rest of the afternoon." She said, omitting the part about them wrestling on his back lawn.

"Hmm, you're right Daphne; that's not very interesting. I'm very disappointed now." Tracey sighed, crossing her arms.

"Told you..." Daphne mumbled, catching Theodore's glance at her. "Don't suppose any of you did anything interesting? Aside from running about at the Quidditch World Cup?"

"If you count my mother and Theodore's father almost getting together as something, then yeah!" Blaise laughed, moving instinctively away from Theodore's oncoming punch.

"Lucky for me, my father knows a village broomstick when he see's one." Theodore growled.

"Are you called my mother a whore?" Blaise asked indignantly.

"Technically, he called your mother a broomstick-" Tracey pointed out lightly, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Shut up Tracey!" He hissed, glaring at Theodore "It's not like my mother has a taste for murderer's anyways." He jabbed. Now Theodore looked severely offended and crouched into a standing position, ready to attack Blaise, who was also now standing.

"Oh God, we if you two are going to battle it out, I'd rather walk!" Daphne announced, and then opened the carriage door and stepped out, landing straight in a puddle. It was still pouring rain, so she ran in her soaking wet shoes all the way to the front entrance, where she was joined shortly after by Tracey. "Well, did they kill each other?"

"Almost. They exchanged a few punches, and then Theodore gave Blaise a black eye, which he responded with a kick to the shins-"

"I see." Daphne said absently as she saw Theodore hobbling up to join then, and Blaise drifting over to where Draco was standing. She felt her heart skip a beat when she saw Draco for the first time since her visit, and then felt it sink when she saw Pansy hanging off his arm... and now he didn't look so unwilling.

"Wonder what the story behind that is..." Tracey smirked looking from Daphne to Draco "Should have taken your chance when you had it."

"What chance, Tracey? And please stop talking about it so obviously; Theodore will hear!"

"Hear what?" he asked, wincing a little when he put his weight on his right leg.

"Got you good, didn't he?" Tracey remarked casually, looking down at his leg. Theodore only shrugged stiffly.

"Hardly. I'll be fine in a few hours. Blaise will have a shiner on his face for a week at least! It will be a good thing too; bring his ego down a couple notches." Theodore grumbled, glaring off towards Blaise, who was now entering the school with the other Slytherins. Daphne happened to catch a wisp of blonde in green robes float past her, and she noticed that it was indeed her sister, walking between two boys who had to be at least 3rd years. She groaned and put her face in her hands.

"Astoria still at it?" Tracey chuckled, watching the younger of the Greengrass sisters saunter around with the two boys, different from any of the others they'd ever seen.

"At this rate, she'll have dated the entire school before she graduates!" Daphne sighed, fixing her wet red hair into a pony tail haughtily " I will keep _some_ of my dignity for the sake of my family." She added under her breath.

"Because they care so much!" Tracey laughed. Daphne narrowed her eyes briefly at her best friend, and momentarily considered remarking on her mother's lack-of-decency, let alone her lack-of-validity, but let the thought pass without being verbalized.

"Can we get inside now? All the first years are coming up the hill, and I don't want any snot nosed children sneezing all over me." Theodore said, taking their arms lightly and leading them towards the Great Hall.

At dinner that night, the opening speech was much more interesting than the past few years; Dumbledore announced that other schools would be joining them for the majority of the year. There were rapid whispers up and down the tables as the students shared their thoughts about their future guests.  
"Drumstrang? I was supposed to go there." Daphne heard Malfoy announce loudly to his section of the table. She couldn't hear the rest of his tale because Tracey had her own opinion to insert.

"That means my cousin will be here from Russia!" she announced gleefully.

"And mine from France, Merlin help me..." Daphne sighed, glancing down at her sister. She was much happier to hear that her cousin's would be joining her because she was much more like them. _I really am a Black Sheep in my family..._ she thought, leaning on her hand in annoyance.

"Once again, I am so happy I have no siblings, cousins, or relatives of any sort that will be joining me!" Theodore smirked, stirring his tea with his spoon.

"That's because you have _no_ relatives of any sort!" Tracey teased.

"And when have I ever complained?" he smirked.

"It seems all you ever do is rub it in our faces..." Daphne mumbled, pouring herself a cup of tea to try and warm herself up. "Someday, I hope you marry someone with lots of brothers and sisters, so you'll have a giant family to pretend to care about." She added, smiling crookedly as she took the sugar bowl from in front of him. He only smiled a little and then looked down the table at Blaise, who was giving him a rude gesture. "And I hope that you and Blaise stop acting like children someday too! Honestly, can you imagine if they _were_ brothers?" she said, looking at Tracey and nudging her chin at Theodore.

"I would hex him in an instant!" he growled in return.

"Glad to see we all get along so well..." Tracey mused lightly.

When Beauxbaton arrived a few weeks later, all the boys were in a frenzy, goggle-eyed at the prospect of new female to stare at.  
"Even Theodore seems quite entrapped in the thought of a few new girls to stare at. Give you a rest, eh?" Tracey teased lightly.

"What are you talking about?" Daphne laughed, shaking her head and looking out the Courtyard window. "Oh Lord, here they come! In a giant horse carriage, if you please!" she sneered. Tracey giggled as she watched all the boys rush and push the girls out of the way of the window.

"You would think that there are no girls at this school the way _they_ act..." Tracey grumbled as she crossed the courtyard with Daphne to escape from all the commotion. "Even Draco looks distracted from Pansy." She added, giving Daphne a little nudge in the ribs. The guys were whistling to themselves as they watched a crowd of girls, all dressed in pale blue uniforms, were walking gracefully up the hills towards them. "Look at the lot of them!" Tracey laughed "Like genetic copies of one another! Are they all related?!"

"Well, last I checked, my uncle Daedalus only had 2 daughters, not 200; so no, I would imagine that they're not all related..." Daphne mumbled, glancing over her shoulder to see some of the older boys who were confident enough to introduce themselves already chatting up some of the girls. A few of them turned up their noses, but some were trying to understand their English hosts.

"There goes Blaise! Trying to pick up that little blonde fairy!" Tracey snorted.

"Of course! Blaise's ego would only allow him to pick out a girl that could be considered part Veela!" Daphne giggled under her breath as one of the girls floated past them; she looked like she had a wand up her ass sideways she was so stuck up! "Now there's one for Blaise! A real challenge for him!"

"Daphne? Daphne, is that you?" she heard the chiming of a vaguely familiar and very French voice. Daphne sighed and then forced a happy smile of her face as she turned to face the source of the voice. Now standing only a few feet away were her twin cousins; Madeline and Marguerite Roux. They both had immaculate faces and bodies, with long red hair that fell just below their shoulders, and eyes as bright as the blue sky. Tracey stood beside Daphne, completely stunned by their appearance, and Daphne cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Hello Madeline and Marguerite. How are you doing?" she said, trying to be as polite as possible.

"Oh, we're fine! Freezing at this horrible weather! Does it always rain like this?" Madeline said in her thick French accent, drawing her coat tightly around her thin, model-like frame. Her identical sister did the same.

"I'm afraid so... England has that problem..." Daphne sighed, looking up at the light drizzle that was falling from the grey sky.

"Well, you are looking very, er, _pretty_ Daphne." Marguerite said, looking her cousin over and smiling more sympathetically then anything. Daphne felt a very forced smile slowly cross her lips, which were so tight together to try and stop from hissing something vulgar at them.

"You look very much like your father, doesn't she Marguerite?" Madeline smiled coyly at her sister, who returned the identical smile. Daphne gritted her teeth, but fought the urge to push them into the mud.

"Thank you." She said through her teeth "And I'm very _pleased _that you're going to be here at Hogwarts this year." She added ceremonially.

"Yes yes! We don't like your weather, but I'm sure we could do with a few new faces." Madeline said, glancing Tracey over and narrowing her eyes a little in displeasure. "Where is Astoria? We have been _dying _to see her!" she added enthusiastically. Daphne rolled her eyes and scanned the crowd.

"No idea. Off flirting with yet another boy?" she said, smirking a little.

"And are _you_ flirting with any boys lately?" Marguerite smirked, already knowing the answer. Daphne was about to call her out on it, but they were interrupted by a crowd of Slytherins gathering around.

"Daphne, who are these lovely ladies?" Blaise said smoothly, looking at Madeline and Marguerite very suggestively. Daphne felt her eyes roll very dramatically, but knew that she would have to introduce them or face constant badgering later.

"These are my cousins Madeline and Marguerite." She said, lazily waving her hands at the twin girls, who were examining the boy who had so boldly walked up to them. "These are my housemates, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, and Draco Malfoy." She said in a lower voice, not even bothering to introduce Crabbe or Goyle.

"Malfoy? As in Uncle Lennox's boss?" Madeline mused in her French accent, which made all the boys jaws drop ever so slightly in awe.

"Yes, as in my father's boss; this is his son." Daphne grumbled, now feeling the cold rush through her.

"Pleased to meet you."Draco smiled charmingly, nodding his head graciously, but he did not reach out to shake their hands like Blaise did. _Zabini's so forward, he'll spoil any chance he has with every girl he meets! _

"Your cousin's are very lovely." Blaise said smoothly again. Theodore rolled his eyes and made a face from behind him, which only Tracey and Daphne saw, and had to try to hold back their laughter. "May I escort you to the castle?" he asked. Both girls, who were 16 years, and therefore 2 years older than him, looked at each others, as if they were trying to understand if it was a joke.

"Madeline! Marguerite!" called a very familiar voice as Astoria pushed through the crowd and ran straight into the arms of her cousins.

"_Astoria!_ Oh, how is our favourite relative in the world?" they soothed and giggled as the three of them embraced. Daphne rolled her eyes and gave Tracey a sickening glance.

"I'm wonderful! Come with me, I must show you around the school! It's so old and big! You'll be sure to get lost if _I_ don't show you the way!" she said, giving Daphne a dark glance.

"Yes because _you_ have so much experience in this school..." she growled, narrowing her eyes at her little sister again. Astoria only smiled like an innocent child and tossed her blonde locks over her shoulder, then started towards the castle.

"It was very nice seeing you Daphne. You're starting to look very pretty now." Marguerite smiled, lightly touching her cousin's face as she passed her, starting to follow Astoria.

"Yes, I'm sure you're going to be very beautiful someday." Madeline added, a little too reassuringly. Daphne felt her cheeks burning red with embarrassment, and didn't even try to cover up the rage that was boiling over. The red haired twins were led on either side of Astoria, who glanced back at Daphne and then said something to her cousins; they all then shared a laugh, most likely at her expense.

"I'm cold. I'm going inside." Daphne said through locked teeth, her fists clenched in rage as she was turning the idea of running after them and pummelling them to the ground in her mind.

"No! You can't!" Tracey said, gripping her arm tightly "You made me endure that; now you have to meet _my_ cousin!" she announced, glancing back at the boys as she walked back across the courtyard again "You can too if you behave yourselves."

"Why would we want to meet a bunch of guys?" Blaise sniffed. Tracey turned up her nose and continued to walk with Daphne.

"Don't worry; when you take one look at Aleksey, you'll forget all about Draco What's-his-face!" she teased Daphne, tapping her arm gently.

"Hmm, well only because you seem to think that your own _cousin_ is hot." Daphne smirked.

"I never said I was attracted to him! I just said that if I were _not _related to him, I would think he was hot!" Tracey corrected. Daphne shook her head and then nudged her lightly in the ribs.

"Here comes Pansy..." she whispered, then turned to smile at her housemate.

"Aren't those Beauxbaton sluts _awful_?" Pansy laughed. "I've always thought the French were stuck up, but those girls are just _awful_!"

"Pansy, _I'm_ half French." Daphne remarked darkly. Tracey snorted a quiet laugh and whispered something to Millicent, who had now joined them. "And my cousin's go to Beauxbaton."

"Well, so do mine! But can't you agree that they're all prissy, pretension little bitches?" she said, her gaze daring her to challenge her. Tracey gripped Daphne's arm a little tighter, her eyes alive with the thought of Daphne challenging her.  
Instead of calling her out like she wanted, Daphne instead forced a very sour smile and turned away from her, looking out the courtyard window towards the vast grounds ahead.

"You certainly showed her." Tracey said sarcastically.

"If you're so eager to fight her, why don't you say it for once instead of making me?" Daphne asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

"I can't! I'm a half-blood, remember? I have no claim to this world or this house, as far as she and people like Draco are concerned. I'm only here because they _let_ me stay here." She said, looking past Daphne's shoulder at Pansy and Draco, who were no doubt flirting away again, as they had been for the last 3 weeks. "But _you_! You've got just as much, if not _more_, magical blood running through you as she does! They couldn't and wouldn't banish you because of what you said. If anything, they'd respect you more and agree with you."

"Tracey, sometimes the nonsense you babble about makes me wonder if you're really sane." Daphne said lightly as she continued to stare out into the school grounds, pretending like she had barely been listening. Despite what she wanted to tell Tracey, she knew that what her friend had said was very true. As well as the other fact; she _could _challenge Pansy, and no one would be able to say anything about it!

"Say what you like; you know it's true." Tracey remarked, before she joined her, leaning on the windows of the courtyard and staring out towards the grounds.  
"Wonder how Drumstrang will arrive." She pondered aloud.

"No idea. Not something as flowery as Beauxbaton, I hope." Daphne said absently.

"Yes, bringing us back to that point; your cousin's are horrid!" Tracey laughed quietly.

"I know they are; just like my sister." She sniffed "Sometimes I wonder if I was found on the doorstep or something... I can't possibly be related to this family!"

"If you want to talk about not feeling related, look at my family! My mother's family were all rich and famous wizards, and then my mother had to fall in love with a muggle! They didn't outright disown us, but let's just say we aren't invited to many family birthday parties or weddings." She sighed a little and stared out towards the lake, which was moving very curiously. "Aleksey and his father are the only ones who talk to us ever. My uncle sympathized for his baby sister, and was convinced that all muggles were evil from that point onward... Wonder what he would do if he knew the truth..."

"That all muggles are truly evil?" Daphne asked lightly.

"No, that my mother _loves_ the muggle." Tracey corrected. She squinted her eyes towards the strangely whirling waters of the Black Lake "Do you see that too?"

"Yeah, I wonder what the squid is up to." Daphne sniffed, squinting to see as well. When a mast of a gigantic tall ship emerged from the waters, the entire crowd of hundreds of students gasped in amazement.

"Well that's a neat trick!" Tracey beamed as she watched the ship tie up on the shore and the students were unloading, dressed in their blood red uniforms and fur coats.

"See your cousin yet?" Daphne nudged her in the ribs. Tracey was scanning the line that was now approaching the front entrance of the school where they all stood, but didn't get a chance to answer. Pansy and Millicent had now shoved their ways in between Daphne and Tracey, staring goggle-eyed at the boys.

"Oh, they are pretty, aren't they?" Pansy squealed with delight. Millicent remarked on their fine uniforms looked, and Tracey cleared her throat, catching Daphne's eye and glaring at Pansy dramatically. Daphne caught the hint and took a deep breath, looked to Tracey once more for reassurance, and looked at Pansy briefly.

"I don't think Draco would be too thrilled at you chatting up a bunch of Drumstrang boys." She said in a deliberately patronizing voice. Pansy looked away from her distraction long enough to give Daphne a challenging glare.

"Draco got to flirt with a bunch of French Hussies. Now it's _my _turn to talk to someone new!" she said in a low, powerful tone of voice. Despite Daphne's urge to back off, she continued.

"Yes, but unlike Draco, you're going to flirt with the entire school." Daphne said, a small content smile crossing her lips. Millicent looked at Daphne with shock and horror, like perhaps she had thought she had lost her mind. Pansy turned to face Daphne directly and stepped forward so she was only a few inches away from her.

"Just because I have the ability, not to mention _looks,_ to get the attention of men doesn't mean you have to criticise _me_." She said in an uptight voice. Daphne felt her insides roll with anger, but her face managed to hold a look of determination. She merely narrowed her eyes into a dead-set glare and waited to see if she would say something else "Until Draco and I are official, not that it's any of _your_ business, I will exercise my right to flirt with other men." She added in a very cocky voice.

"Just take care your flirty ways don't reach Draco's ears." Daphne warned, a smooth crooked smile sending a small chill through Pansy's solid appearance of composure.

"You wouldn't _dare_ speak to him." Pansy hissed a warning, taking care to check over her shoulder first to be sure Draco wasn't nearby. "Don't forget, we all know what your sister's like; we wouldn't want anyone outside of the school learning about that little skank, now would we?"

"Pansy, my sister means nothing to me; ruin her if you want, I could care less." Daphne challenged "You could never find anything on me if you tired." She added, watching Pansy's expression change from cockiness to sour acceptance "But I never said_ I_ would tell him. I only mean take care that one of his friends doesn't let him know."

"Take care that it's not _you_ who are that informant friend." Pansy warned again.

"There's Aleksey!" Tracey said loudly, calling Daphne and Pansy's attention away from sizing each other up. Up the hill, waving back at Tracey was a tall, well-defined boy that looked like how Daphne imagined Draco would look in 3 or 4 more years. His hair was a light blonde, and his skin very pale, but his body was that to rival a professional Quidditch Player. "Aleksey, come over here!"

"Now _there's_ one that any girl would leave her boyfriend for!" Pansy said, making sure to shoot Daphne a smirk.

The tall boy who vaguely resembled Tracey in facial structure and expression walked over towards them (followed by the jealous gazes of tonnes of girls) and gave Tracey a giant hug. "Tracey, how are you?" he asked, his accent very clear, but his English was flawless, unlike Madeline and Marguerite.

"Oh, I'm the same. Welcome to rainy England!" she laughed, holding her hands out towards the sky, which was still drizzling. "Although this must seem much more mild to you" she teased, tugging lightly at his fur coat.

"Like late spring!" he chuckled, now looking at Daphne, the closest girl to him "And this must be Daphne?" he asked, holding his hand out to take hers. Feeling her cheeks turn a light shade of pink, she held her hand out shyly. He took it and gave it a quick kiss, which made Daphne blush even harder.

"Aleksey, right? I'm very pleased to meet you. Tracey is my closest and dearest friend, making your acquaintance almost mandatory." She smiled coyly, looking at Tracey briefly.

"Tracey has told me all about you when I visited her in the summer" he smiled, flashing his brilliantly white teeth in her direction. Tracey was right; Draco was as far away as he could be right now. "Are you really Medea's daughter?" he asked, glancing her over quickly. Daphne felt her brain falter a little at the thought of her mother.

"Uh, yes I am. The eldest, that is." She replied lightly, now vaguely aware of Pansy, who was fidgeting behind her, trying to get Aleksey's attention.

"My Grandfather was very close to your Grandparents. That's how our parents met your mother." He said, nudging Tracey in the shoulder to show who he was talking about.

"Amazing! I never knew the wizarding world was so closely knit!" she said, flashing him a quick smile as well. She started to look at him more closely; there wasn't a single freckle on his skin, and he had to be about 15 or 16 based on his face. _Well, if Draco doesn't work out, I'll have to consider him! He's quite a catch for anyone!  
_  
"Shall we go up to the school? Don't want you to catch your death with a chill!" Tracey teased, taking her cousin's arm. He nodded his head and turned his head towards the other guys behind him and yelled something that sounded like Russian to them. They turned from their conversation and began to follow Aleksey as he was led towards the school by Tracey.

"Coming?" Aleksey offered his arm to Daphne. She felt her face flush pink again (much to her embarrassment), but she smiled and took his other arm graciously. As they started up the hill, Pansy made a very obvious cough to try and get Tracey's attention, to which Tracey glanced at Daphne. She caught the hint and turned her head towards Pansy as they passed.

"Pansy, that cough sounds awful! You should really go see someone about that." She said sincerely. When Pansy gave her a blank expression, like she couldn't believe she was so stupid, Daphne smirked, and then turned to continue up towards the castle with Aleksey and the rest of the boys.

**_AN: So those were some quick scenes. I was going to attempt to make the cousins speak with accents (Aleksey like Krum, Madeline and Marguerite like Fleur) but I found it WAY too frustrating to try and spell everything phonetically.  
ALSO! I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST THE FRENCH!! That's just how I've made Pansy's character. It's not meant as a personal insult.  
REVIEW!  
Next chapter WILL BE the Yule Ball, I swear!!  
Loves!_**


	8. Year 4 Part 3

**_AN: Ironic how my goal was to have this fic finished by the time Half-Blood Prince came into theatres, and then they pushed it back until July...  
Now I will use Twilight as my goal, so still November._**

REVIEW LIKE IT WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE!!  
I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters or settings... JKR beat me to it... that was a joke.

If having Beauxbaton and Drumstrang around wasn't weird enough for Hogwarts students, being told that there was going to be a ball, as in a dance, was even stranger.  
"I hate dancing." Tracey grumbled. Daphne found that she was actually very excited to go to this ball, not only because she had never been to an actual ball, but that it was a chance to dress up!

"Well, surely it won't be all waltzing!" Daphne giggled "I mean I can't imagine anyone waltzing to The Weird Sisters!"

"Well, that's true, but everything _else_ is going to be all haughty-taughty!"

"Yes, because all muggles learn waltzing in school and frequently dress up in ball gowns to go out for the evening." Daphne rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if half of them don't know what dress robes are!"

"And that's supposed to prevent it from being haughty-taughty?" Tracey inquired sarcastically, crossing her arms and body checking a Hufflepuff 2nd year out of her way. "Honestly, some people have no manners! Just walking down the middle of the hall like that!" she said incredulously.

"Well, I'm not saying that _some_ people won't make it seem like that-" Daphne was interrupted by a short laugh from Tracey.

"Your sister being one." she smirked a little. Daphne ignored her and continued.

"_But_ there are going to be hundreds of students who have never been to a ball, like us, so it's nothing to get worried about!"

"Oh I'm not worried, per say. I just hate the thought of dressing up and prancing around like a fairy." She trailed off as she looked across the hallway at a Beauxbaton girl chatting to a Ravenclaw "Or a French Ninny like her." She chuckled.

"There are more important things to worry about then looking like a fairy!" Daphne said, feeling her excitement fading when she came to the trouble with this ball. She sighed and leaned against the wall beside her Ancient Runes classroom. "We hate to find _dates_ for this thing!"

"And I bet there's only one person you want to go with, right?" Tracey teased, turning up her nose and giving her a glare to resemble Draco. Daphne smacked her in the arm with her book to stop the charade.

"Yes, that's a given!" she hissed under her breath "But how exactly am I going to _achieve_ such a feat?" she sighed, leaning her head back against the cold stone wall. It was now late November, and everyone was racing around, trying to find dates for the Yule Ball. Lucky for Daphne, Draco had yet to ask Pansy, which meant she still had a chance. In fact, none of the Slytherins appeared to have dates. The only person that Daphne knew did was Astoria; she was going with a 15-year old Drumstrang named Yuri Zanzibar, whom she had met one night in the Great Hall during dinner. He had become her newest companion, one of about 12 she had had already that year; Daphne was beginning to think that she really _would_ date the entire school before she graduated...

"Well, there's still time to kill Pansy off." Tracey joked, mimicking strangling an invisible neck. Daphne laughed and closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly.

"Despite how much I hate her for having all of Draco's attention, I don't hate her enough to kill her... hex her maybe, but not kill."

"Really? Because I would have no problem killing her." Tracey said in a low voice, glaring down the hall at the topic of conversation, which was walking towards them with Millicent in tow on her arm. The four Slytherin girls had split into doubles since the day in the courtyard when Drumstrang and Beauxbaton arrived. Tracey and Daphne no longer felt the need to include Pansy or Millicent in any of their conversations, and Pansy no longer felt the need to acknowledge Daphne when they were around Draco; her mind was set on stealing him away and sealing the deal of officiality with him. Tracey told Daphne that she had overheard Pansy telling Millicent that she was positive that she and Draco would be dating soon because he was closer than ever. Daphne then felt the need to take a walk outside in the snow after that conversation.

As Pansy approached, she narrowed her eyes very briefly and whispered something to Millicent before she put on a very fake smile. "Hello Tracey and Daphne! Found your dates for the ball yet?" she purred like a cat. Daphne felt a very tight knot suddenly form in her stomach; Pansy would only bring this up if she already had a date.

"We're working on it." Tracey answered in a tone that sounded sweet, but had an acid meaning behind it.

"Well, you'd better get a move on! Millicent and I already have dates." She beamed, smiling at Millicent, who has far as Daphne was concerned was lucky enough to find a date with a face like that.

"Oh really? And who are you going with?" Tracey asked, faking her curiosity very well.

"Well Millicent got asked by Crabbe this morning, lucky girl." Pansy smiled at her companion, who didn't look as amused by it as she did. Daphne and Tracey both fought back their laughs; _Now _there _is a match made in heaven! _Daphne thought as she coughed conspicuously.

"And who are you going with?" Tracey continued after a second. Pansy's smile was very wicked, and she took the opportunity to give Daphne a look of victory before she spoke.

"Draco, of course." She said smoothly "He asked me this morning after breakfast. What a sweet boy he is." She beamed with her white teeth bared in a sharp smile. As expected, Daphne felt her heart sink into the basement of the school. "Well, we'd better be off to class then. Hope you girls find dates soon! Get them before they're gone!" she said, calling the last two lines as she and Millicent were walking away, giggling amongst themselves. Daphne felt her another sigh escape her and she hit herself over the head with her book several times.

"Plan B then, I assume?" Tracey asked as she scanned the halls.

"There _was_ no plan B." Daphne mumbled between hits. Tracey rolled her eyes, grabbed the book out of her hands and gripped her shoulders firmly.

"Oh please Daphne! There are plenty of other boys in this school, not to mention Drumstrang, to go with! So Draco's decided to go with the White Witch; who cares?"

"_I_ care, thank you. She's such a nasty piece of work."

"He could have gone with your sister; which is worse?" Tracey remarked.

"Pansy." Daphne replied without hesitation "My sister I could hex without feeling slightly guilty for it."

"Well, when you put it like that..." Tracey trailed off, watching a Drumstrang boy walk by and giving him a quick glance over "What about Aleksey?"

"You would let me go with him?" Daphne sniffed a small laugh.

"Well it's not like_ I'm_ going to go with him! I'm afraid incest isn't my style." Tracey laughed "I'll talk to him later today and see if he's going with anyone."

"And who are you going to go with then?" Daphne asked, glancing at her watch; Tracey had exactly 2 minutes to get to her next class or she was going to be late.

"Oh, I'll ask Theodore or something. Unless you want to take him." She smirked.

"Don't ask him yet; I just may have to if I can't find anyone else." Daphne sighed, taking her book back out of her best friend's hand.

"Finders keepers Daph!" she smirked, scurrying off before Daphne could smack her with the book for calling her that.

By the time Ancient Runes finished, and Daphne had been through a double Defence Against the Dark Arts class, she had almost forgotten the drama at hand. It wasn't until she saw her sister chatting up Yuri in the Entrance Hall that she was reminded of her mission. As she passed the blonde beauty who shared very little resemblance to Daphne, she gave her a disapproving glare and continued on with her nose held high. _Let the family harlot have her fun... I will be laughing to my grave when mother and father find out.  
_  
Tracey immediately waved her down once she saw her in the Great Hall. Daphne speed walked over to sit beside her at the table, waiting for whatever news she was apparently bursting to tell her.

"I've got a date!" Tracey blurted out as soon as she sat down. Daphne couldn't help but roll her eyes out of despair.

"So now I'm the only girl who doesn't have a date?" she sighed, burying her head in her arms in the table and sighing again. "Story of my life, I suppose." She mumbled.

"You're not even going to ask me who I'm taking?" Tracey pouted dramatically.

"Let me guess," Daphne sat up and pretended to think for a moment "Theodore?"

"I shouldn't have told you before; that was too easy!" she smiled "But we're only going as friends; to save each other from the trials of finding an actual date."

"Care for a third wheel?" Daphne mumbled, playing absently with her hair.

"Oh come now! Surely there is a guy in this place that will take you!" Tracey sniffed with laughter.

"You don't sound very convinced." Daphne said quietly "What happened to Aleksey?"

Tracey bit her lip for a moment before she flashed a comforting smile. "He may or may not be taking Madeline Roux to the ball."

"Oh perfect! Once again I'm overlooked by my own family!" Daphne cried before she slammed her head onto the table in frustration.

"Ouch, that looked painful." Tracey grumbled "Well, I'll help you if you want." She offered. Daphne shook her head and sat up, rubbing the sore spot on her forehead.

"That was a little harder than expected... And no, I'll be fine. If worst comes to worse, I'll be the only student who will go home for Christmas holidays."

"You'll get the entire train to yourself! Excellent!" Tracey mocked. Daphne narrowed her eyes before she set her head on her arms again.

"Shut up Tracey."

Daphne moped around in the common room that night, sighing every few minutes as she shared at her Charms homework, but didn't make any effort to start it. Lucky for her, Charms had turned out to be her best subject, and she knew that she could procrastinate until at least tomorrow at breakfast.  
She watched as her sister skipped in with her best friend, a girl named Regine Coutts, who had the face like a great round pumpkin. Astoria, of course, barely even noticed her big sister, and continued to chatter away rabidly to the girl. And as if to add to Daphne's current annoyance with her sister, the girl's cat Pandora jumped up and started screaming in her ear for food. Unfortunately, Astoria was now up the stairs and half way to her dorm, so Daphne couldn't shout out at her to take care of her animals.  
"Poor thing; she must never pay attention to you." Daphne sighed, petting Pandora stiffly. "But I suppose every spoiled child does that; get's what she wants and then is bored of it within seconds." She added, pulling a small treat out of her bag. The cat purred with happiness as she fed it, and then bounced away towards the girls dormitories. "Bloody thing is just like Astoria... cries to get what it wants and then buggers off." She mumbled to herself as she turned and resumed staring at the blank parchment before her.

"Don't suppose you want to do my homework too?" a familiar voice drawled, dropping books beside her on the table. Daphne looked up slowly from her work to see Blaise and Theodore both smiling smartly at her.

"Hello boys." She grumbled before she turned back to her blank page. Apparently not noticing her tone of voice, they sat down at the table with her.

"What are you working on? Snape's killer potions essay or the deadly Defence Against the Dark Arts assignment?" Blaise asked, picking up her quill and turning it absently in his fingers. She rolled her eyes and grabbed it out of his hands and sighed, irritated by their presence.

"Neither; charms. Now please go away so I can work." She hissed, tapping the quill in frustration. Blaise and Theodore exchanged looks of intrigue and made no move to get away from her.

"You see a little on edge Daphne." Theodore offered, smirking a little at the sight of her very angry eyes glaring into his.

"I sort of am, so can you please leave me alone?" She replied dully.

"How come? Anything we can help you with?" he asked again, picking up her textbook and sneering at the title on the front cover.

"It's not charms Theodore. And no, _you _can't help me." She sighed "Unless you happen to have a twin brother that doesn't have a date for this stupid ball." She added before she bit into the end of her quill, which she forgot was not flavoured. She instantly spit out the piece of feather and coughed a little to rid her mouth of the taste.

"That was attractive..." Theodore said under his breath, laughing quietly to himself.

"Well it's funny that you should mention that Daphne because I actually don't have a date either." Blaise said smoothly beside her. After she finally got the last piece of feather out of her mouth, she looked at him with an odd expression.

"What? You mean Blaise the player doesn't have a date with some French Heiress or something?"

"No, I'm afraid I'm off the Frenchies right now... I've had enough trouble with them already to know that I don't want to take anyone who doesn't speak my language to a ball." He shrugged. "So what do you say Daphne? Wanna go to the ball with me?" he asked, now smiling a much smoother and attractive smile. Daphne felt the light at the end of the tunnel suddenly brighten; Blaise was quite attractive, and he certainly was of a sufficient bloodline and house. He was a very good option actually, and it wasn't like there were hundreds more lining up to take her...

"Sure!" she smiled, and then turned back to her work before they could see her cheeks going slightly pink "That solves one of my problems." She said quietly.

"Can_ I_ help you with number 2?" Theodore asked, laughing a little with Blaise.

"Unless you want to hex my sister's date, then I doubt it." Daphne chuckled a little, tapping her quill on the page a little as she looked around the common room for any sign of her "He's way too old for her, and I know my parents are going to somehow make it my fault that she's such a tramp."

"Just give me the name, and I think I can arrange something." Theodore smirked, his eyes clearly intrigued by the challenge. Daphne stared at him for a moment, measuring in her mind how much trouble she would get in if they were caught. _Technically, Theodore would get in the most trouble... and I doubt he would turn it all back on me. _She weighed her options mentally. After a few more moments of thinking, her smile now matched his and she tore a piece of parchment off her blank page. In the centre in big, bold letters, written in her loopy, curly writing, she wrote out the name _Yuri Zanzibar _and pressed it into his hand.

"He's in Drumstrang." She added. Theodore opened the paper and smirked a little.

"Of course he is with a name like that." He mumbled to himself before he showed Blaise. "I think I can arrange something. But there is one condition, of course." He said, glancing at Blaise for a moment.

"What do you want? Money? Me to do your homework?"

"Good Lord, I wouldn't want _you_ doing my homework." Theodore teased. "No, you have to save me one dance at the ball, if Blaise will agree of course." He said. "I want to see if Daphne can dance. If she can, I'll have fun; if she can't, I'll have lots of fun." He told Blaise, who laughed heartily.

"Only if I get to be in on the planning of taking down this kid." He agreed.

"Then that's settled." Daphne beamed brightly "I'll go to the ball with Zabini, and you'll take care of my sister's date!" she now sighed, satisfied on how well this evening worked out "How very productive you two have been for me."

"We try to be." Blaise laughed "And Theodore is just trying to break into the family business of offing people."

"That's not funny, Zabini." Theodore said in a warning tone. Blaise only mimicked him and then picked up his books to continue on to the dorm. "Stupid git..." he mumbled as he too picked up his books and followed.

A week before the ball, a very large package fell from the sky at breakfast. Daphne had been dozing off as she tried to eat after pulling an all-nighter on a transfiguration assignment that she couldn't understand (or complete), and the sudden thud of her family owl dropping a box in front of her had startled her.  
"Ooh, someone's dress robes is here!" Pansy squeaked excitedly, tapping the table anxiously as she waited for Daphne to open the box. Since their dates had been sorted out, Pansy and Daphne had been on better terms, and were now speaking to each other rather frequently.

"Well hurry up." Tracey poked her in the side "Let's see it then!" Tracey had also had a change of heart and was now very excited to go to the ball. She wanted to see everyone's dresses and compare make-up and jewelry; she was acting very much like Pansy lately.

"Fine fine." She mumbled, half asleep as she pulled the ties loose on the package. She pulled the brown packaging paper off and opened the box to see a metallic navy blue fabric in the box. Her face instantly expressed her disappointment and anger. "This isn't the color I ordered!" she growled under her breath. _Leave it to my mother to screw up a dress order..._ she thought bitterly, her face growing hot with anger. She yanked the dress out of the box and held it up in front of her; it wasn't even the right size.

"Little small, isn't it?" Pansy remarked oddly, taking a piece of the fabric and examining it for quality.Daphne felt her teeth grind with fury.

"Did you look in the box Daphne?" Tracey asked sweetly, a knowing smile on her face. She snapped her vision over to the box and saw the green material that she had ordered. Daphne suddenly felt very foolish; the dressmaker had send her sister's dress with hers, most likely to save money and packaging.

"Right..." she mumbled quietly. "Astoria!" she called down the table. Several other people looked up and Astoria gave her a momentary glare of death. But when Daphne waved the dress around a little in her hands, her face lit up with glee and she leapt from her seat and ran over to her.

"Mum got the order right! Oh look how pretty it is Daphne!" she said in a frenzy of high pitch squeals of happiness.

"Yes yes, it's lovely." Daphne mumbled as she handed the dress to her little sister, who held it in front of herself like she was wearing it.

"Oh, it looks so eloquent!" she sighed as she ran her hands over the smooth satin material. "What's yours look like?" she asked suddenly, her tone more suspicious than curious. _Figures that she would be worried I copied her. _

"We want to know too!" Pansy pouted tapping her fingers on the box anxiously. Daphne rolled her eyes a little and pulled the forest green gown. Unlike her sister, who had gone for a halter-style, backless dress (guaranteed to draw the attention she wanted for the evening), Daphne went for something a little less modern.  
Her dress was floor length, made of forest green organza fabric, with the skirt slightly billowing around her. It laced up the back in a built in corset, with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a low neckline. Daphne's favourite part of the dress was the detail of dark green vine, stitched in with tiny beads that extended from the bottom of the skirt to just below the neckline of the dress, making it look like she had a forest growing up from around her. When she held the dress up in front of her to show the girls, Pansy and Astoria gasped a little; Tracey being Tracey let a low but impressed whistle.

"You must give me the name of robe maker you go to!" Pansy breathed, holding the skirt to examine the details of the beadwork.

"Her name is Rhiena Janvier, and she makes all our clothes!" Astoria piped up immediately. Daphne rolled her eyes and started to fold her dress.

"Astoria, don't lie." She chided, placing her down gently back into the box it came in. "She made all of _mother's_ clothes; she _does not_ make ours." She pointed out, now holding her hand out for her sister to hand over her dress as well. Astoria looked at her sister's hand like it was holding the head of her cat. "Astoria, you'll ruin the dress if you drag it all the way back to the common room." She sighed in frustration "I'll take it back in the box so it doesn't get dirty."

Astoria finally relinquished the dress and strode away to rejoin her friends at the other end of the table. Pansy was still fascinated by the gowns, even after they were in the box and closed away again. Then her expression changed to something much more normal for Pansy.

"Well, at least it will look alright beside my robes. It's the most gorgeous color!" she started. Daphne caught Tracey's eye as she sat down again; she rolled her eyes, now being forced to hear Pansy go on again about her dress robes...

**_AN: I know, it was rather short, but that's because I want a nice big chapter next, and hopefully finish up 4th year so I can MOVE ON to what I want to write!!_**

**_REVIEW!!1111111111111_**


	9. Year 4 Part 4

_**AN: **So Alas, no luck in recovering my lost documents off my stupid hard drive. But, I re-wrote this chapter (again) because I was SO CLOSE to having it posted before technology got the better of me... again.  
Anyways, I think I'm going to write one more chapter of Year 4, and then move on to Year 5... which I am REALLY excited to write about since I have some interesting ideas to write.  
Review, as always!! And thanks to everyone who has subscribed to the story/ author postings. It means a lot to me!!_

**EDIT SEPT 21ST: I fixed the chapter because for some reason the italics weren't showing up, and therefore the emphasis and thoughts weren't displayed well... I also fixed up a few words/spelling mistakes, but nothing major.  
**

"Can you do me up in the back please?" Daphne asked, holding the loose panels of her corset-top dress in her hands as she pouted at Tracey. With a smile of demonic pleasure, Tracey waltzed over in her black, plain ball gown and gripped the ribbons in the back of Daphne's dress.

"How tight?" she asked a second before yanking on the lacing of her top, causing Daphne to feel the wind knocked out of her.

"Well, I'd like to _breathe_, thanks!" she managed as she coughed in pain. Tracey chuckled quietly and pulled again, this time not so hard.

"I'm sure Blaise is going to love this dress." She remarked, looking over Daphne's shoulder at the reflection in the full length mirror they stood before. "As will every other guy, I'm sure."

"Except Draco." Daphne remarked solemnly. She saw her friend roll her eyes, and Tracey tugged extra hard again on the ribbons, making Daphne cough out the displaced air in her lungs.

"Now _that's_ not the right attitude we discussed, is it?" Tracey mused sarcastically. "You have to be positive, and remember that Pansy could screw up at any time."

"With a little help, she may screw up tonight..." Daphne mumbled under her breath.

"There you go! Take charge of your destiny! Don't let Loose Lucy have all the fun!" Tracey smirked, finishing off the back of Daphne's dress. Now completely laced in, Daphne took a moment to turn sideways and examine her profile, all tightly wound up in her dress robes. Tracey caught her looking with a satisfied smile and gave a small chuckle. "Yes, I'm sure if I had bludgers like you, I would be smirking like that too."

"What!?" Daphne exclaimed, a small laugh mixed in her voice. Tracey cocked one eyebrow and poked her in the breasts with her elbow.

"You can't tell me that you haven't noticed them! Notice your shirts getting a little snug and a lot more boys glancing your way lately?" Tracey laughed, covering her mouth with her hand as if to prevent herself from screaming with hilarity.

"What do you mean?" Daphne breathed, looking back in the reflection again. Perhaps it was only the cut of the dress, but her breasts did look bigger than they did before. "It must be these dress robes." She explained, turning around in front of the mirror again. Tracey made a small face and walked over to her own mirror to finish dressing.

"You may tell yourself that." Tracey laughed quietly as she fixed her hair into a tight bun atop her head. "But then I again I suppose you are rather blind when it comes to people staring at you."

"_Staring_ at me? When!?" Daphne said, this time glancing at the clock and realising that they were going to be late. She scrambled across the room, slipping a little on the hem of her dress, 

and picked up her shoes off the bed. "Nobody notices me." She remarked sternly as she pulled her silver shoes.

"They will after tonight." Tracey smiled widely, slipping the small gold studs into her ears. "Shall we go meet our dates then? I'm sure they're awfully anxious to _see _you."

"Just let me get my jewellery on." She sighed, picking up the diamond studs and silver snake bracelet (with emerald eyes that matched the colour of her dress). She put them on, and then stood before the mirror once again. While she was enthralled in the fact that she had never seen herself looking this lovely before, Tracey had snuck up behind her.

"Nothing to draw attention to your-"

"Shut it Trace!" Daphne warned, giving her a stern glare. "They're not even close in comparison, by the way, to _bludgers_, as you call them!" Tracey raised her eyebrows in amusement.

"Wow! Most girls would take what I said as a compliment!" she nodded her head slowly. "You take it as an _insult_. I wonder why."

Daphne sighed out of irritation and rolled her eyes "Once again, you seem to know more about myself than I do. Care to share whatever theory you have?" she asked sharply. Tracey was unshaken and merely shrugged her shoulders in a blasé manner.

"I only observe in this world." She smirked before she picked up her black shawl and headed towards the door. She started down the stairs, and Daphne felt her teeth grind as she followed.

They entered the common room and Tracey turned around smiling. By the looks (and directions they were looking) on their faces, she had already told them about her recent discovery. Daphne pulled her matching shawl around her shoulders and covered her chest, and for a moment wished she could use it to cover her now beet red face. "I've a mind to go back upstairs now." She grumbled, glaring at Tracey and Blaise, who seemed the most amused by it. Thankfully, Theodore didn't seem that obviously entertained.

"Don't be so dramatic!" Blaise chuckled, taking her arm and leading her out of the room. "Tracey's right; it _is_ a compliment, you know."

"Say it again Blaise and you're going to be dancing with a stool for a foot." She warned. Blaise and Theodore laughed a little, which made her face go even redder.

"Don't be like that Daphne! We're only giving you a hard time because we know you won't hex us." Theodore said, clapping his hand on her back chummily.

"Speaking of hexing, how did our little bargain go?" Daphne said, desperate to change the subject.

"Let's put it this way," Theodore smirked to himself, pushing the common room door open and holding it for Daphne and Tracey (and letting it hit Blaise as he tried to walk through) "If Yuri does come tonight, he'll be puking up everything he somehow manages to swallow-"

"And then some! I saw the hex he did! It was brilliant!" Blaise exclaimed elbowing Theodore in the side.

"So there's no way he's going to come?" Daphne pressed, a satisfied smirk slowly crossing her lips. Theodore looked at her with his honey brown eyes, his expression clearly showing the joy he took in his victory.

"No way unless he's desperate." He replied coolly. Daphne felt a small giggle of happiness escape her lips; one less time her sister could whore herself out and embarrass the family.

"Thank you so much Theodore!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him in a hug. After a moment, he returned the gesture, but very stiffly.

"Hey, hug your _own_ date!" Tracey teased, taking Theodore's arm again.

"And don't forget the other part of the bargain." Theodore pointed out, ignoring Tracey. Daphne nodded her head and opened her mouth to speak, but Blaise beat her to the punch.

"If I don't wear her off her feet, I'm sure she'll find a moment." He smirked, before he continued to lead Daphne towards the Great Hall.

They met their housemates outside the doors of the Great Hall, all standing off to the side and watching as everyone entered the ball.  
"...could she look any fatter in that dress!" Daphne overheard Pansy sneering from the top of the stairs. As they climbed up to stand with them, her insults and remarks got louder. "Honestly, these French Hussies are shameless! What is she wearing? A dish towel?" she remarked to Millicent, who snickered beside her. Tracey and Daphne exchanged knowing glances as they looked at Pansy's dress; it wasn't exactly what she had told them all, but at least she got the colour right. Flattering and in-style isn't exactly how I would describe that frilly disaster! Daphne thought, forcing a smile as she approached Pansy and Millicent. "Daphne, you look marvellous!" Pansy exclaimed, giving Millicent a sideways glance "I never knew you could clean up so well." She added, a coy smirk on her face.

"Neither did I!" Tracey interjected from out of nowhere. "Doesn't her rack look _huge_!"

Daphne felt her face go to red that she was sure it looked like she was sun burnt. Pansy and Millicent gave a small frown together when they noticed that they were indeed looking rather inadequate as compared to her. _The only thing I ever received from my Mother that should bring me joy, and I want to cut them off!_ She thought furiously as she gave Tracey a death glare "I really hate you right now." She hissed.

"What's going on?" Draco said, walking over with Crabbe and Goyle. Tracey gave Daphne a slightly smile, but said nothing this time.

"Tracey's being her typical _vulgarian_ self!" Pansy sneered, jealously clearly in her eyes. "Honestly, can't you keep facts like that to yourself?"  
Daphne and Tracey bit their lips to try not to laugh at Pansy's invented word.

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion, looking at each girl for a moment. Daphne felt her heart pounding, praying that no one repeated it; otherwise, she may faint on the spot.

"Blaise, let's go inside and watch Potter make a fool of himself!" Daphne announced jovially, very blatantly changing the subject. Her date smiled and motioned for the others to come along as well; there was noting that a good Slytherin loved more than watching Gryffindors make mistakes.

Watching the champions dance around at the start of the ball was really entertaining for the Slytherins. Of course, none of them had anything against Cedric and Victor, who were their favourites. Fleur was also a decent choice, except that all the girls spat insults about her every time she was mentioned. And of course, Potter was their least favourite... to the point where they had cheered more for the dragon at the first task then him.

"Potter dances like a troll that's gotten into some Firewhisky!" Theodore chuckled quietly. Tracey and Daphne couldn't help but also laugh at the comparison.

"Speaking of!" Blaise said randomly, and then whispered something over at Draco. He smirked at whatever Blaise was saying to him, but shook his head a little.

"I think I'll pass. It will be more entertaining to watch." He said before he turned back to watch the dance.

"Suit yourself." Blaise said lightly before he too turned back to watch the dancing.

"What was that about?" Daphne asked, her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. Theodore turned around and gave Blaise a look of warning, which only added to her curiosity.

"Don't worry Daphne, you'll see." He smirked before he took her by the hand and nodded his head towards the dance floor. "Shall we join them?"  
Daphne's eyes went a little wide at the prospect of dancing in front of everyone. She had never been the greatest dancer, and the last thing she wanted was to be compared to a troll drunk on Firewhisky, or anything close to that! But the dance floor was now practically full, and there would be no way for anyone to focus just on her dancing now. After taking a deep breath, she smiled at Blaise and followed him out into the crowd of dancers.

Swirls of dress robes flew by her peripheral vision as she concentrated on her feet and hands, trying to match her waltz moves with Blaise. Lucky for her, he made up for whatever skills she 

lacked, and as they whisked past the other partners, barely taking notice of whom they were.  
"Tracey and Theodore are an interesting couple, aren't they?" Blaise remarked casually as he watched the swirl of black pass them by.

"They're not the couple I'm concerned about." She mumbled, hoping to keep that remark to herself, but Blaise had better hearing than she thought, and overheard her.

"And which couple is that?" he inquired, his eyebrows raised in curiosity. Daphne felt her cheeks flush pink again, and tried to look away, but Blaise caught her face with his hand and turned it back slowly "I bet I can make a pretty accurate guess."

"Please don't!" she pleaded quickly, the words sounded more like a frantic hiss. Blaise either didn't understand her or he ignored her because he glanced around the ball at the other dancers.

"Is it a couple where the boy is wearing black and the girl a silver gown?" he pointed out proudly.  
_What? Pansy's wearing pink, not silver!_ She thought, looking around the room and trying to find that couple. The closest thing she could find was Cedric and Cho, who seemed to match his description. She turned back with her face contorted in confusion; _He thinks I like Cedric?!_ _Lucky that's all he knows about it... Quick! Look guilty! Think of something embarrassing... Bludgers! Tracey and that damn comparison to bludgers!_ As she planned, her cheeks turned a faint shade of scarlet and she looked down at the floor shyly. Blaise let out a short laugh at his 'victory' and twirled Daphne as the dance was coming to a close. "I expect half the school likes him too." He continued on happily "Of course, it's not someone I expected you to go after, but to each his own."

"I want a drink." Daphne announced suddenly, hoping to escape the conversation as soon as possible. Blaise nodded his head with a small smirk on his face and motioned for Theodore and Tracey to follow.

They walked over to the punch table, where Theodore and Blaise both acted like gentlemen and went to get their drinks, leaving Tracey and Daphne to chat momentarily.  
"Blaise thinks I like Cedric." Daphne said quietly as she looked away from everyone, pretending to be fixing her skirt.

"What! He must be blind!" Tracey laughed, clapping her hands together a little with entertainment. "I thought everyone could see your love for Dra-"

"Apparently not, so shut it!" Daphne interrupted, stomping her heel on Tracey's toe; she shouted something out that wasn't audible, but sounded very angry. But, as typical to Tracey, she put on another smirk and began to chuckled again.

"I wonder when Draco will realize it too... can't be far off now." She said in a low tone of voice, her eyes reflecting her devious manor. Although Tracey was her best friend, she still had an unruly habit of stirring up more trouble than necessary for her own entertainment. Usually, it 

wasn't directed at Daphne, but she was beginning to think that it was her ultimate goal to out Daphne and her secret love for Draco.

Although they hadn't spoken much lately, Draco and Daphne still remained rather close, sitting at the same table in Potions and walking to dinner together when no one else was around. The events of the past summer were rarely talked about, but both of them remembered what had happened, and made a silent pact to not talk about it around Pansy.

_Pansy._ Her mind hissed angrily If _it weren't for her, I would have Draco by now!_ Although Daphne and Pansy had no _real_ disagreements between them, Daphne still felt a large fire of contempt inside her every time she saw Pansy and Draco together. Jealousy really was her worst enemy, but she didn't have the rage of courage to try and bring her down. She had convinced herself that she would have to wait until Pansy ruined it for herself; lie in wait until she had the chance to strike, and then steal Draco away right under her nose.

"Drinks, Ladies?" Blaise announced, holding out two cups towards them. Daphne and Tracey exchanged quick glances before they took their cups and took small sips.

"Ugh, what _is_ this!" Daphne coughed, her throat burning slightly as she tried to swallow whatever it was. Blaise and Theodore smirked a little, but said nothing as they knocked back whatever it was they were drinking.

"Isn't this supposed to be punch?!" Tracey asked, her face reflecting the same disgusting taste she had just consumed.

"And doesn't punch have a _punch_?" Blaise remarked coolly. "Hurry up and drink, we want to get back to the dance!"

"Speak for yourself." Theodore pointed out, putting his empty glass on the table beside them.

"C'mon then! Down the hatch!" Blaise urged, his voice reflecting slight annoyance. Daphne and Tracey looked at each other for a moment, both of them clearly un-amused by whatever this trick was. But, Tracey was the first to shrug, and then tipped the cup back and emptied it a moment later into her mouth. She made a face and shook her head, like she was tried to rid her mind of a horrible image. "Last one Daphne! C'mon, hurry up!" Blaise edged.

"It's not so bad once you lose your sense of taste."Tracey smiled a little, tapping her on the knee a little. Daphne looked down at the dark red liquid in her cup and sniffed it slightly, her nose recoiling a little when the sharp, woody scent hit her brain.

"Don't smell it!" Theodore laughed. Blaise crossed his arms a little with impatience as he watched all the other students dancing again. Daphne felt a little guilty for making them all wait for her, and sighed little as she took one last look at the drink in her hand. Then, after a deep breath, she lifted the glass to her lips and began to chug it back. Her throat felt like it was on fire, and her taste buds were revolted by whatever it was, making her gag for a moment as she tried to drain her glass. But as Tracey had promised, her tongue lost its sense of taste, and the drink was 

no longer so bad. When she swallowed the last drop of the drink, she slammed the cup on the table and wiped the remaining red from around her lips.

"Ugh, that was _disgusting!_ Can you pick a different punch next time?" she breathed, coughing a little as her throat tried to rid the remaining burning sensation.

"Sure. We'll get you some pumpkin juice next time." Blaise assured her inattentively. "Now let's get back out there!"

"Most guys are horrified by dancing, and yet you are more anxious than half the girls here!" Daphne remarked as she hung her shawl on the chair that Tracey had left hers.

"Yeah, is there something you want to tell us Blaise?" Theodore laughed, taking Tracey by the arm again and starting towards the dance floor again.

"Only that I can dance better than anyone in this room." Blaise retorted smartly.

"Wouldn't know it from watching you!" Tracey laughed. Blaise shrugged and looked over at Daphne.

"It's not me." He said in a low voice. Daphne's jaw dropped at the insult, and she attempted to walk back to the table, but he wouldn't let her "That's why I'm going to help you learn! Now _c'mon_!" he chuckled, pulling her towards the dance.

As they danced, Daphne was scanning the crowd for familiar faces. She saw many of her classmates and housemates, but none that were very important. The Drumstrang and Beauxbaton students were all mixed in together, so it was impossible to tell who was from what school.  
At last, a familiar dress caught her eye; Astoria, dancing with a Ravenclaw boy who she knew to be closer to her age. Daphne smiled a little when her sister caught her eye, and to her surprise, she returned the expression, but promptly turned back to her date.

"Your sister looks like a Beauxbaton girl." Blaise said close to her ear. The gesture startled her, and she simply nodded her head awkwardly. As they continued to dance, she saw her cousin's in matching gowns, one wearing gold, and one wearing silver. Tracey's cousin Aleksey was laughing about something with the girls and Daphne felt a small pang of jealous fly through her again. Everyone else in her family was attractive and popular, and Daphne couldn't help but feel overcast and ignored again. She was sure that if she looked like her cousins, or even her sister, she could have anyone she wanted! Instead, she was stuck as one of the last girls in her house to be asked to the ball. She sighed a little, to which Blaise leaned in right beside her ear and spoke to her again. "Did you want to get another drink?" he asked. Daphne's memory of the drink suddenly came back like she had just sipped it again, and she felt her throat close a little.

"No thanks. Actually, I'm feeling kind of dizzy. Do you mind if we sit down?" she asked, realizing that her vision was getting blurry and her head feeling heavier than normal.

"But I love this song! Can we please dance a little longer?" he complained. Daphne rolled her eyes and reluctantly agreed, despite how horrible she was feeling.

By the time Blaise was ready to stop dancing, Theodore was standing at the sidelines, waiting for Daphne to come over. "Time to fulfill our bargain." He smiled, holding out his hand for her. Daphne rubbed her head and felt like perhaps she was going to faint, but she still felt her hand reach out and take his. He led her back onto the dance floor and they started to dance to a song that she wasn't even listening to. The Weird Sisters were just about to start playing, so she knew this would be the last dance that would be considered a ballroom dance.

"Theodore, are you feeling as weird as I am? I think that punch was a little off." Daphne said, rubbing her head a little as her vision swirled a little.

"I am feeling a little strange." Theodore said coolly as he turned Daphne gracefully as they danced. If she had been a little more aware of what was going on, she perhaps would have noted that Theodore, although he wasn't as good as Blaise, certainly was a very good dancer. "So, did you notice your sister managed to find another date within 24 hours?" he said casually, taking Daphne by the waist as they followed the other dancers circling around the floor.

"I did. But at least he's close to her age." Daphne said, her words slurring a little. She suddenly felt very tired, but she continued to dance.

"He was also taking another girl, whom he ditched to bring her." Theodore told her. Daphne's attention snapped back to aware, and she felt very angry.

"What a surprise! The little snake convinced him not to take another girl?!" she said, her eyes furiously scanning the room for her sister. Not surprising, she was not there, and Daphne felt her fury rise even more. "That little slut is going to ruin everything my father has worked for all his life!" she growled as she tried to leave the dance floor, but Theodore pulled her back. "Theodore, please! I have to find her before-"

"And where do you propose to start? Which of the _thousand_ rooms in the school are you going to search first?" he asked. Daphne felt her rage deplete a little. "Just let it go for now. You can call her all the nasty names you want tomorrow. Don't ruin _your _night just because she's having fun in a way that may be frowned upon."

"_May_ be? You sound as bad as her!" Daphne hissed.

"Really Daphne, I had no idea you were able to read minds!" Theodore laughed. "How do you know your sister is up to no good?"

"Because she's my sister and I know her better than you!" Daphne shot back.

"Daphne, just _let it go_!" Theodore laughed again "I can see her date from here; she's probably gone to the bathroom."

"Oh." Daphne said quietly. To her surprise, they hadn't stopped dancing. She felt all the feeling of anger fade away, and replaced with a giddy, euphoric wave that made her smile contently to herself as she danced.

"So Tracey tells me that you have a little crush on someone." He smirked. Daphne's eyes opened very wide and she felt her stomach turn over into something that would resemble a tangled vine.

"S-she told you what!?" she breathed frantically, trying to find Tracey in the crowd so she could glare at her (or worse).

"Yeah, she told me you like someone, but she wouldn't tell me who." He said brightly. "Why didn't you tell me?" he prodded.

"Because i-it's not something I need everyone to know!" she stammered "And it's not like it's going to go anywhere!"

"I'm still rather insulted that you wouldn't tell _me_!" he said, his voice pretending to sound offended. Daphne sighed a little, still embarrassed that Tracey had said anything at all, but despite the rather obvious hints that Theodore was dropping that he wanted to know, she was not about to give in.

"Theodore, you are one of my two," she paused for a moment, glancing over at the table where she now saw Tracey and Blaise laughing about something with Flint "Although it may soon be _one_, best friends in the world, I don't want to tell you because you know him-"

"He's in our house?" Theodore pressed and Daphne bit her lip, angry at her own stupidity.

"Theodore, please drop it! Can't you just be my best guy friend ever and spare me this humiliation right now?" she slurred, leaning her head on his shoulder. He didn't say anything at first, but he stiffly patted her on the waist where he was holding her.

"Sure thing. But I would like to be informed someday." He agreed; Daphne ignored it. They danced in silence for a few more minutes before the dance finally came to a close, and Daphne leaned up from leaning on Theodore's shoulder. He looked at her in a way she had never seen before, but felt a wave of dizziness hit her very suddenly, and she groped for his arm to support her. "You alright? Here, let's go sit down." He suggested, putting his arm around her and leading her towards the table where Tracey and Blaise sat. Before they were within ear shot, Theodore leaned his head down and said something in her ear. "By the way, you look very beautiful in that dress."

"Thank you Theodore! I hope all of your attention isn't focused on my rack when you say that, but I appreciate it. And you look quite dashing yourself." She answered, a small satisfied smile on her face. Theodore chuckled a little, but didn't say anything else. He helped her onto the chair he pulled out for her, and then whispered something to Blaise.

"Not that much! Maybe she's just never had any." Blaise replied aloud, looking right at Daphne. Theodore rolled his eyes and sat down beside Tracey, who looked like she was dozing off at the table. "Shall we have some more punch?" Blaise asked, clapping his hands together.

"No!" Tracey and Daphne replied together.

"_I'll_ get it this time." Theodore said, motioning for Blaise to stay in his seat. As Daphne watched Theodore walk away to get them drinks again, she felt her head swirl around like she was still dancing. She gripped the table to try and stabilize the world around her, but everything she saw was spinning.

"Daphne, are you alright?" Blaise asked, reaching out and putting his hand on hers. Daphne tried to focus on what he was saying, and she looked over to see that Tracey had now fallen asleep at the table, her head resting on her crossed arms with her hair a mess.

"I feel very dizzy." She said closing her eyes to try and settle her mind. But even with her eyes closed, she still felt like she was spinning.

"Here, drink this." Theodore's voice said, tapping her lightly on the shoulder and putting a drink in her hand. Daphne slowly opened her eyes and noticed that the punch was a different colour. She leaned in and sniffed it again; it smelled much sweeter now, like fruit and flowers.

"This is different." She stated in a low voice. She craned her neck over to the refreshments table and saw that there was only one type of drink being served at the table. "Where did you get this?"

"That's the punch." Theodore said in a low voice, giving Blaise a glare. He merely shrugged and took a sip of his drink.

"Then what did I have last time?" she asked, looking at Theodore for the answer since Blaise's stern look at him made her think that he had something to tell her.  
Theodore glared at Blaise, and then nodded his head at Daphne.

"Fine." Blaise sighed in annoyance "In order to make this a little more enjoyable for Theodore, since he hate's dancing-"

"Do_ not_ try to make this my idea, Blaise!" Theodore warned.

"-I offered to loosen him up a little with something I found at the bottom of my trunk." Blaise explained, taking another sip of his drink and trying to look away.

"And that was?" Daphne pressed, her head spinning again. Blaise sighed again, this time clearly annoyed with all the questions and leaned in closer to the table.

"My mother borrowed my trunk in the summer and may have left a bottle of Firewhisky in it."

"So you put alcohol in Theodore's drink?!" she gasped. Theodore and Blaise shushed her immediately, waving their hands for her to be quiet.

"Keep your voice down!" Blaise warned her "And not quite. We figured it would be no fun if it was just us drinking..." he continued, looking down at Daphne's drink. After a second, a wave of understanding washed over her; they didn't call it Firewhisky for nothing, and the burning in her throat now had a cause.

"You put it in my drink too!" she hissed, pushing the drink away and looking at Blaise with disgust. Theodore grabbed the drink and pushed it back towards her.

"No, _this_ one is clean. And trust me, you're going to need it later." He assured her.

"Why didn't you _tell me_! I've never even drank alcohol before!" she growled, careful to make sure no one around heard them. No matter what story she told the teachers, they wouldn't believe that Daphne had no idea of the contents of her drink, and would surely get in a lot of trouble for it.

"No kidding! I have a feeling Tracey hasn't either." Blaise chuckled, nodding his head over towards Tracey, who was now snoring. "Now don't get all excited about it! It's nothing big, and if anything, it will make the dance more fun!"

"Except that I'm practically _drunk_!" she hissed, holding her hand against her spinning head. She sighed in frustration and looked at Blaise again "If you had told me, it wouldn't have been so bad. But this is the stuff they put people in prison for!" she warned.

"Yeah yeah, I know; I'm a _horrible_ person, blah blah. Now are we going to go back out there and enjoy our favourite band, or sit here and let my mother's donation go to waste?" Blaise asked, looking past Daphne at the Weird Sisters, who were now playing Daphne's favourite song. "C'mon Daph. We won't tell a soul that you drank anything." Blaise offered "Unless you want more, which I happen to have in my pocket, by the way."

Daphne looked out at the crowd of students, who were dancing like heathens in front of the stage and couldn't help but want to join them. A school dance was rare enough as it was, and the last thing she wanted to do was waste possibly her only chance to be in a situation like this again. She looked back at Blaise and Theodore, who were waiting intently for her response. She sighed in defeat and looked over at Tracey "Should we leave her there?" she asked. Blaise and Theodore exchanged smiles before Blaise stood and took her hand.

"She'll be fine. Theodore will take her back to the common room if he wants." He reassured, helping her out of the chair and walking with her over to the crowd of students jumping like mad in front of the band.

By the time Blaise and Daphne returned from the Yule Ball, Daphne could barely walk her feet hurt so much, and her head wasn't feeling as dizzy as it did before. Blaise had finished off the remainder of his Firewhisky, but wasn't in as bad of a condition as they were at the dance. While 

the band played, they were jumping and screaming as they danced, occasionally falling over and taking a few people out with them. As the crowds started to disperse, and teachers could see them more clearly, they decided it was best to call it a night. When they stumbled into the common room, Daphne ran over and grabbed one of the leather couches, taking the opportunity to at last take off her high heeled shoes.  
"I am _never_ wearing heels again, so help me God!" she swore as she threw them across the room, narrowly missing the dying fire. Blaise walked over and flopped down beside her on the couch, holding his arms out for a hug.

"Thanks for going with me Daphne." He smiled, his heavy lidded eyes looking like they were about to close. Daphne giggled a little and accepted the hug.

"Thanks for taking me! Otherwise, I would have been Tracey and Theodore's third wheel." She said, snuggling up against Blaise, who kept one arm around her. They sat there for a few minutes, watching the fire die in the fireplace. Although she was very tired, the back of her mind was telling her that Blaise was awfully close to her right now, and he was in fact running his hand up and down her back, like he was strumming the lacing of her dress. Although she wasn't sure what he meant by it, she was sure he meant it as a friendly, calming gesture. After all, he owed her some sort of comfort after he got her practically drunk without her even realizing it at first. His touch actually did calm her, and she felt herself drifting off to sleep slowly, her eyes getting heavier and heavier as she watched the fire die with the night.

When she awoke from her brief sleep, Blaise too had dozed off, and they were sleeping on the cold leather couch in a now dark room. It must have been about 4 in the morning, and Daphne felt very cold in the dark, underground common room. She tried to curl herself up into a ball to keep the heat, but she accidently nudged Blaise, waking him up abruptly. "Sorry Blaise." She mumbled quietly as she continued to adjust herself. He didn't reply at first; in fact, she got the sense that he was watching her get comfortable.

"Don't worry about it. Comfy now?" he asked in a low, raspy whisper. Daphne thought that perhaps he had lost his voice from all the screaming they did for the Weird Sisters; after all, her voice felt like it was about to break too.

"Yes much better." She nodded slowly.

"Good." He said, barely above a whisper. Then, from behind her, she felt him lean towards her and touch her head. But his hands were down around her waist. It took her a moment to register what had just happened, and then she felt her heart start to beat faster. _Did he just kiss me on the head?_ She lifted her head slowly to ask, but she found that she didn't need to as soon as she saw his eyes. His dark eyes were reflecting what he had done, and she could see that there was no mistake in it either. He stared at her in silence, like he was waiting for her to say something, his eyes reading hers. Then, when he was satisfied that she was as curious as he was, he took her chin with his hand and slowly brought her face towards his, giving her lots of time to back out if she wanted. He stopped an inch short of her lips, waiting to see if she was going to retreat. Daphne could see all of his thoughts through his eyes, waiting to see what she would do. When 

she didn't pull away, and she didn't say anything, Blaise took this as a good signal, and brought her lips to meet his.

Daphne was so unsure of what to do at first that she froze, unable to move or breath as she tried to comprehend what was going on. Then, as it began to sink in, her mind began sending her all sorts of signals. Her head told her that she was having her first real kiss (the boy down the street when she was 9 did _not_ count in her mind), that she was having it with Blaise, and that she was enjoying it.

It was like a small spark had gone off in her head, and was lighting a fire in slow motion. The first thing she did was turn more towards him, to avoid the uncomfortable angle she was at. Then, she wrapped her arms around him to be closer. Those were the two things she did; she was far too nervous (and inexperienced) to try anything else that might seem creative. But it didn't matter much; Blaise apparently knew what he was doing, and he was also very good at it. The longer they kissed, the more passionate Blaise got, and Daphne eventually picked up some of his moves and was able to kiss him back (to a certain extent). At one point, Blaise pulled her body closer to his, so that she was practically lying on top of him, which gave Daphne a near heart attack. He also once again has his hand wrapped in the lacing of her top, lightly running his fingers along them. Much to her surprise, she was sure that he had found the knot and had pulled it open. But she didn't have time to react because suddenly something hit her in the side of the head. Blaise and Daphne pulled away from each other and looked at what had just struck them; a bunched up old sock that looked like it had been under someone's bed for a year or two.

"Ew!" Daphne screamed, throwing it away from her. Across the room, in the dark, she heard laughing. Blaise and Daphne both sat up on the couch and looked towards the dimly lit stairwell that led to the girls dormitories. There stood Tracey, Millicent, and Pansy, all giggling hysterically. Daphne felt her face turn very red and she immediately crawled off Blaise, who also looked a little embarrassed by the audience they had.

"Are we interrupting you two?" Pansy purred from the doorway, laughing again with the other girls.

"No." Daphne called out, her voice very wary and strained.

"Yes." Mumbled Blaise under his breath. Daphne looked at him with wide eyes and he only smirked a little. She felt herself blush a little and returned a small, shy smile before she looked back towards her roommates.

"I guess I'd better get to bed." She said quietly, climbing off the couch and picking up her shoes. The girls were giggling very loudly in the corner, and then they ran upstairs, laughing like hyenas as they ran. "Uh, I guess I'll see you later." She mumbled awkwardly.

"Sure thing." Blaise said, smiling at her behaviour "Do they always do things like that?"

"I have a feeling Tracey put them up to it, but yeah." She chuckled lightly as she looked around for her shawl. Blaise cleared his throat and held it up to her attention. She smiled and walked over to grab it. "Thanks Blaise." She said meekly. "And thanks for the...uh-"

"You're welcome." He replied, a sweet smile on his face. He handed her the shawl but then held on to it as she tried to take it back. "Turn around for a second." He asked. She looked at him oddly, but did as she was asked. A moment later she felt a small tug on the lacing on her back and then he turned her back around "I think I caught it with my cufflink." He told her. They both knew that was a lie, but neither of them said anything. Daphne's cheeks went a little pinker and she smiled at him again.

"Good night Blaise." She said, standing in front of him for a moment, waiting to see if he wanted to kiss her again or something. He saw that she was waiting for it, and made an obvious gesture to look towards the girl dormitories, where they could still hear loud giggles from upstairs. Daphne let out a small laugh at his point.

"Good night Daphne." He smiled, before he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before he turned and disappeared into the darkness towards the boys dormitories.

_Did that really just happen? _She thought, placing her hand on her chest as she tried to feel if her heart was still beating. The telltale laugh from upstairs told her that yes, it did happen, and yes she had been caught. _Well this is going to be interesting..._ she thought as she gathered up her skirt and started up towards her dormitory, where she knew there were a thousand questions and giggles waiting for her inside...

_**AN:** **Quick Notes! #1 Vulgarian is from Mrs. Warrens Profession, a G.B. Shaw play I saw this past summer.  
#2 I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! It took me 4 hours of typing to re-write it!!**_

NEW CHAPTER UP SOON!! REVIEWWWWW!!


	10. Year 4 Part 5

_**AN: So I FINALLY got this chapter up! HAH! It's only taken me like 2 weeks!! I am back in school again, so it is hard for me to find time to write between class/work/reading for class/sleep, but my goal is to still have it done by November 21st! And if not then, then it will FOR SURE(!!) be done by New Years!!**_

**Still don't own Harry Potter... I'll ask Santa for it this year...**

Daphne snuck out early that morning, trying to escape the girls and their endless questions. When she had returned to her dorm only hours before, they girls had bombarded her with inquires; 'Was he a good kisser?' 'Did he smell good?' 'Did he say he loves you?' It was madness as far as Daphne knew.  
She didn't sleep at all that night because she was wide awake, staring at the ceiling. What _did_ happen? Did she even like Blaise in that way? Or was she just curious after a long night that also had alcohol mixed in? _What does it matter! Aside from the girls, no one is ever going to hear about this! Especially the boys! _She reassured herself...

Deciding that she wanted some breakfast, Daphne headed out of the common room and down towards the kitchen, which she knew would be making food at this time of the morning. But when she opened the portrait, something was blocking it, and she had to physically shove the door open. On the other side, a boy stirred in his sleep and rubbed his eyes.  
"About time! I've been waiting for _hours_ for someone to come out here!" he yawned, pulling himself up on the wall. Daphne stared at him like he had a tentacle growing out of his forehead; why was this boy sleeping outside the Slytherin common room? He wasn't from their house, so it's not that he could have forgot the password...

"What are you doing down here? You're not even supposed to know where this is." She demanded, putting her hands on her hips in annoyance.

"Can you deliver a message for me?" he asked, more or less pleading with her. Daphne raised her eyebrows, but didn't agree. "Can you tell Astoria Greengrass that I'm sorry and-"

"_Astoria?_" Daphne laughed out loud. She recognized him now as her last minute date from the Yule Ball last night.

"Do you know her!?" he asked frantically.

"I'm her sister." Daphne said in a low, disinterested tone of voice. The boy paused and gave her a quick once over.

"Her sister? She's a blonde, good-looking girl, isn't she?" he asked. Daphne raised one eyebrow now and tapped her foot to show she was not pleased. Then she cracked her knuckles as she reached for her wand in her robe pocket.

"I suggest you run back to your house before I turn you into the little maggot you are." She hissed. The boy gave a very scared nod and then took off running down the dark halls. "Little shit..." she grumbled under her breath as she pulled her robe closed around her.

The halls were very chilly at this time of morning, and she had a brief thought to go back to her bed and sleep. But her stomach gave a protesting growl, so she decided to trudge onward to the first meal she'd eaten in 24 hours. She was able to grab a very quick breakfast from the kitchen (despite the protests from the house elves), and she walked up to the Great Hall, which was just opening when she arrived. Looking forward to a quiet, undisturbed breakfast, she sat in the middle of the Slytherin table and began to munch on her eggs and sausage.  
Her peace was short lived. Theodore came slumping into the seat beside her only 5 minutes later, looking very tired.  
"Why are you up so early?" Theodore groaned as he set his head on the table. Daphne looked at him with a confused expression.

"Why are _you_ up so early?" she pointed out "Clearly you should still be in bed."

"I was looking for you." He yawned "I wanted to ask you something."

"Alright, what is it?" she asked before shovelling a forkful of eggs into her mouth. He ruffled his own hair in an attempt to shake out the weird cow lick he had, then gave another yawn before he could speak.

"Did you make-out with Blaise last night?" he asked bluntly. Daphne choked on her eggs and began to cough violently, dropping her fork onto the plate. After Theodore gave her a couple smacks on the back, she was able to breathe again, but her face was still very red.

"How do you know that?" she managed hoarsely, coughing once more after.

"So it's true." He said in a low voice, looking away towards the Great Hall doors "Well I'll be damned; Blaise isn't as big a liar as I thought." He then turned back and looked at her very seriously "You, on the other hand, have caught me by surprise." He said, raising his eyebrows with intrigue "Is he the one Tracey was talking about? The boy you're _in love_ with?"

"_Blaise?_ No!" Daphne laughed awkwardly, taking a sip of water "We're just friends..."

"Because friends make-out with each other _so_ often..." Theodore smirked. Daphne glared at him momentarily, but said nothing "Well, I'll just warn you that all of us," he paused and looked at the door again "The guys, that is. We all know about it because Blaise came back and told us all."

Daphne's mouth dropped open with shock; she was so sure that Blaise wouldn't make a big deal out it! _But then again... he has been known to brag about things..._ she put her face in her hands and groaned in frustration _Way to go Daphne. Now everyone knows about what you did last night!  
_"All the girls know too because they _caught_ us." She mumbled in her hands. Theodore hissed like he had been burnt and then patted her on the back lightly.

"Then that settles it." He said lightly. Daphne lifted her head and looked at him for clarification; he smiled sweetly and gave her another pat on the shoulder "You're never going to hear the end of this."

"Thanks Theodore." She mumbled, frowning as she stabbed her eggs with more force then necessary. Theodore let out a quick laugh, and then looked towards the door for the third time "Who are you looking for?" she asked in a low, tired voice.

"Your sister. Apparently she's been on a rampage since last night. That's where she was, by the way; back in the dorm with her friends, screaming and crying about something." Theodore explained, craning his neck to see over the students now arriving for their first meal of the day, many people looking very tired, like Daphne.

"What a surprise. I met her date outside the portrait this morning. He's not exactly a charming fellow, that's for sure. No wonder she's pissed at him."

"What did he say?" Theodore pressed, stealing a piece of toast off the plate of food that now appeared.

She opened her mouth to tell him, but then remembered how insulting his statement had been, and decided it was best not to. "He just demanded to see Astoria. I told him he couldn't and he'd better get the hell away from our dormitory." She lied.

"Well remember, at least he wasn't 4 years older than her." Theodore pointed out lightly "Uh oh, here she comes." He said quietly "And she's heading this way."

Sure enough, Astoria, followed by her little gang of 2nd year friends were heading her way, with the leader of said pack looking like she'd been crying her eyes out all night. For a moment, Daphne felt sorry for her sister. But then, when she thought about it, she knew that her mother had given her creams for puffy, tear-stained eyes, and that this was probably to get attention.

"Daphne." She said curtly, her eyes red and swollen. Her voice sounded tired and hoarse, like perhaps she had been crying (or screaming) all night.

"Astoria, what's the matter?" she asked, trying to sound concerned, but not vulnerable. It wasn't the first time she had been fooled by her sister's crocodile tears, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last...

"Did you see Kevin this morning?" she sniffed. Daphne raised her eyebrows slightly and exchanged a sideways glance with Theodore.

"You mean your date last night?" she inquired, her tone sounding less sympathetic this time. Astoria nodded her head slowly. "As a matter of fact I did. He told me to tell you he's sorry. Then I sent him back to his house."

"You idiot! Why did you send him back!" she hissed, tears welling up in her eyes. "It was all a misunderstanding, and now he's going to go back with that horrid Lisa Turpin!"

"I'm sorry, but I haven't read the 'Who's Astoria's current boyfriend' column in the Daily Prophet today. Really Astoria, I find it hard to keep up with as it is." Daphne said bluntly. Her sister's jaw dropped down and her eyes went wide, but she was for once speechless "I wonder what father will say when I tell him about what you've been up to lately; I don't think convincing a boy to dump his current date to take you to a silly ball will sit well with him." She added, before she turned back to her plate and cut up a piece of her sausage.

"You wouldn't understand! You've never had a boyfriend in your life, and probably never will!" Astoria fired back, her expression as dark as her words, glaring into Daphne's back. Theodore's face was one of amusement as he watched the quarrel take place between the sisters. Daphne paused for a moment and then slammed her fork down on her plate.

"Astoria, having a boyfriend to me doesn't mean a new one every 4 days." She said coolly. "I mean, I'm pretty sure you're going to run out of both Hogwarts _and_ Drumstrang boys at the rate you're going." Astoria's friends now let out indignant gasps. Daphne glared at her sister, who was mirroring the expression with more hatred then she had ever seen "Keep it up, and I'll have to write home to tell father about the little _slut_ you're becoming." She hissed before she turned back to her meal "Now go cry to someone who cares." She added brutally. She could feel Astoria's dagger eyes stabbing her in the back again, but she ignored them. Theodore hadn't even looked away from Astoria yet, but when he did, his jaw was still down in shock.

"Everyone knows you're just _jealous _of me, Daphne!" Astoria spat at her back. Daphne felt her grip get tighter on the fork she was holding, but she fought the urge to turn around and risk stabbing her. "You couldn't find a boy that would like you even if you tried, and even if you could, it would be someone like Longbottom!" she added. From the heat on the back of her neck, Daphne gathered that her sister must have been standing right behind her. But despite how close she was, and how easily she could backhand her and teach her to be so insolent, she kept her grip tight on the fork and her teeth locked. "You're a disgrace to our fam-"

"_YOU_ are the disgrace, Astoria!" Daphne shouted, whirling around and standing up from her seat, knocking down the bench (and Theodore) as she stood. Astoria backed up and into the Ravenclaw benches. They were vaguely aware of the stares they were receiving from the arriving students, but neither of them backed down. "Look at what you're doing! Whoring yourself out to boys 4 years older than you, and you're barely 12!" she hissed, looking at her sister in disgust "Turning you loose in this school was the worst decision mother and father ever made, aside from ever having you." Daphne took a step forward and was now standing mere inches away from her shorter sister's face. "I suggest you keep away from me, because everything I see I _will _write back to father. You and I know both know that _nothing_ would make me happier then to see you revealed for what you really are."

"You wouldn't _dare_ tell them anything!" Astoria hissed.

"And what are you going to do to stop me? I have nothing to be ashamed of, and nothing to lose. You have _everything_ of be ashamed of, and _everything_ to lose." Daphne scoffed.

Astoria ground her teeth a little as she searched her head for something to shoot back at her. But when she could find nothing, she stamped her foot and stormed off, her friends following close behind.

"_Ow_." Theodore said, his voice showing the amusement more than his face did. He stood from the floor and lifted up the bench off the floor, rubbing his tail bone as he turned back to Daphne. She was still glaring in the direction that her sister left. "Well, _that_ was entertaining!" he laughed as he took a seat on the bench, wincing when he sat on his injury.

"I'm glad I amuse you." She hissed as she took her seat and began to stab the sausage with even more force.

"Try not to break the plate, Daphne." Theodore chuckled. She shot him a death glare; this day was not going very well so far, and she wouldn't put it past her luck to shatter a plate or two.

"Good morning Theodore." Called a familiar voice cheerfully. Before her brain could even up the name to the voice, Daphne was blushing feverously. Blaise sat down across from them and instantly met her eyes. "Morning Daphne." He said in a very different, almost knowing tone.

"Morning Blaise..." she mumbled very quietly, now leaning her head down so her hair covered her face. Theodore laughed quietly to himself, but didn't say anything out loud.

"Theodore," Blaise started, his tone light like he was discussing the weather "I was wondering; could you go away for a few minutes so I can talk to Daphne?"

A very awkward silence fell between them, and Daphne felt her heart rate accelerate. Theodore caught her eye briefly as she lifted her hair out of her face, her expression as shocked and concerned has his was. "Sure. I'll just, uh, go find Draco..." he said, giving Daphne a quick smile before he got up and shuffled out of the Great Hall, stretching his hands above his head with a great yawn.

"I'm almost afraid to ask why you felt the need to get rid of Theodore." Daphne mumbled, looking at the table instead of Blaise. He chuckled quietly and tapped the table thoughtlessly.

"Well, having a private conversation doesn't work too well when there is someone listening, does it?" he teased. Daphne managed a nervous smile. She had never felt quite like this before; it wasn't that she was in love with him like she was Draco, but Blaise made her feel anxious and shy all at once as she watched him watching her.

"You have no idea how much on an earful I got from the girls last night..." Daphne said quietly, still not looking him in the eyes. Blaise laughed and shook his head slowly.

"Well Pansy has nothing on you since she's has her own affairs to worry about." Blaise remarked slowly, checking to see if Pansy was around. Daphne looked up at last, confused by what he had just said, and managed to catch his eyes right as he turned back to face her. She felt her face burn a little again with embarrassment, but she ignored it.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice sounded very forced.

"Draco and Pansy are officially an item as of last night." Blaise replied matter-of-factly. "Talk about calling the kettle black! Pansy and Draco were snogging for hours before we got back to the common room, or so Flint told me."  
Daphne felt very nauseous all the sudden. Perhaps it was the fact that she just felt her heart get yanked out of her chest. Or it was the mental image she suddenly had of Draco and Pansy, wearing their dress robes, sitting by the fire in one chair, with Pansy sitting in Draco's lap as she always did, their tongues down each other's throats. She had to remind herself to breathe, and she stared at the table once again.

"Daph? You look pale. Are you alright?" Blaise asked, his question bringing her back to earth. She shook her head of the images and looked up sharply.

"Yes, I just feel a little sick from the Firewhisky, that's all." She sputtered quickly. Blaise nodded knowingly and looked around the Great Hall curiously, like he was looking for something. Daphne started to breath faster, her chest still feeling like she was possibly having a heart attack. _Oh God! I think I'm going to faint!  
_  
"So Daphne, I don't suppose I can convince you to mimic them?" Blaise asked very casually.

"Sorry?" she asked, her breathing started to get a little more frantic. Now she was sure she was having some sort of heart failure. _It's all in my head... breathe! Stop thinking about it... oh God, I want to stab her in the neck!  
_  
"Do you want to mimic them? Draco and Pansy?" he asked again.  
_AHHHH! DON'T REMIND ME OF THAT AGAIN! _Her mind screamed, but she managed to keep that outburst silent. Blaise smirked a little and reached over and put his hand over hers. She was cold to the touch, or so she gathered by the way he shivered when he touched her.

"Look, Daphne, I'm trying to ask you out. Are you going to answer me?" he said in a tone that matched his boyish smirk. Time seemed to stop for a moment as he brain process what he had just said. Then her eyes snapped up and looked in confusion and astonishment; did he really just _ask her out!?  
_  
"W-what?!" she breathed, aware that her head was getting lighter. Blaise chuckled a little at her reaction and gently rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand, his grip getting slightly tighter.

"I said Will. You. Go. Out. With. Me?" he repeated deliberately slow.

Daphne felt her mouth open a little, making her look like she had just been stunned. She felt her brain going into some sort of over-drive. It couldn't process all of this information at once! First Draco and Pansy had now become an item, and now Blaise was asking her out! _I can't go out with him! I want DRACO not him! It's not fair to him!_ She thought frantically. But then the words of her sister rang through her head; 'You've never had a boyfriend and probably never will.' _Is that so Astoria? Well, I have a surprise for you! _She thought, a small smile creeping over her lips; this might be interesting.  
"Yeah, sure." She replied quietly, making sure to sound grateful and interested. Blaise smiled, revealing his perfectly white teeth.

"Excellent." He said and then gripped her hand a little harder.

After a minute of awkward silence, staring at each other ever few moments, the rest of their classmates joined them. Draco and Pansy were walking abnormally close to each other, and Pansy of course looked like a Christmas tree lit up with a torch. Tracey looked very tired, as did Millicent, who had a very annoyed look on her face. Daphne almost pitied her because she would have to listen to Pansy go on and on about their love life, but then Daphne realised that she too would have to hear all about it. _Lucky for me, I have something new to distract me with... _she thought, looking at Tracey for a moment. She had a very knowing smile on her face; although Blaise and Daphne were no longer holding hands, she was sure that somehow her best friend knew already. Theodore was beside Tracey, looking suddenly very sour. She made a mental note to ask him about it later, but was distracted by the morning mail falling from the owls. There was nothing for her, as usual, but Draco had an extra large amount of sweets today, which he offered to share with them in an out-of-character move. _I guess Pansy has really given him a change of heart... _she thought bitterly, which to hear ears sounded more like heart-ache...

The relationship didn't last very long.

Daphne received word by owl post shortly after New Years that made her want to tear her hair out. Her sister, obviously taking revenge on her for the things she had said about her, and written home and told their parents that Daphne and Blaise were dating. So, when Daphne received a letter from her parents, she wasn't too surprised. What she was surprised at was what it said...  
_We think that Blaise is a very poor choice for a relationship, and request that you break it off immediately. Your father and I are pleased that you found someone who likes you this way, but we don't feel that he's from a good enough family to have a chance of marrying a Greengrass girl. If we hear you are dating him by the time you come home for the summer, you will be severely punished. Love, Mum and Dad.  
Only my parents could put the word 'love' at the end of a letter like that... _she thought bitterly as she ripped up the letter and threw it into the fire. She felt some tears building up in her eyes as she stared at the letter turning into ash in the flames. _They will never be happy for me. _She thought, gripping her sweater so tight that she felt her sharp nails digging into her skin. _Why can't they be happy for me! EVER! _She thought, the tears now flowing out of her eyes. Angry at her parents and the fact that she was crying, she threw something off the coffee table into the fire, not even looking at what it was. It burned a bright purple flame, which she could barely see through her tears.

Although Blaise and Daphne weren't a terribly affectionate couple, having yet to proceed past the events of the Yule Ball night, she still felt very attached to him. Or if not him, then of the _thought_ of having a boyfriend! Watching her sister always have one but never experiencing it herself had a bittersweet taste now that she knew how it was possible for her sister to cry and throw fits like she did occasionally. And now Daphne was about to throw a fit for a very different reason, since she knew very well that her parents didn't care who Astoria dated, or they approved of all her boyfriends. _Of course, of all the boys in the school, _I _pick the one they find 'inappropriate!'_

Valentine's day came rather quickly after that, and Daphne felt almost obliged to tell him about the letter that day. But he had taken her out to lunch in Hogsmead (thankfully _not _to Madame Puddifoot's) and was treating her very sweetly, buying her candy at Honeydukes and taking her for a stroll up towards the Shrieking Shack. She was quite taken aback by his behaviour, and felt in the back of her mind that she might actually be falling for him.

It didn't really shock her that much when later that night he went farther than they had before while making out, pulling her shirt up and feeling her breasts. Although she felt very uncomfortable, which he surely noticed by her racing heart rate, she didn't say anything. She instead spent the whole time reminding herself that Blaise was a good guy and he wouldn't hurt her. Thankfully, Theodore and Crabbe came pounding on the boys dormitory door (they had to resort to less-than-private areas since the rest were all taken by other hormone driven students) and a very pink-faced Daphne had to leave the dorm so the other occupants could do their homework...

Daphne hadn't let Blaise take it any farther than that. He had pushed for more, normally not asking, but taking her hands and putting them places she didn't really want to touch. Her excuse was she didn't want to be looked at like her sister was by her family. It was a bullshit excuse, since there was no way in hell she could ever catch up to her sister's record! But Blaise bought it, and seemed content with listening... for now.

After the shock of Cedric's death at the end of the year, everyone was depressed. Daphne took the time to break the bad news to Blaise... sort of.  
"I think we should stop seeing each other." She said as they walked down towards the carriages that were taking them back once again to the train.

"Wow. That was sudden." He said after a brief moment of silence. "May I ask why?"

"I've had a new outlook on life since Cedric died-"

"Oh right, I forgot you liked you. Mind you, I guess I assumed you got over that since you were dating me." Blaise remarked, his tone sounding a little sharp. Could he possibly be mad at her? _Of course he is! He asked you out, so he must have liked you! And look at all the things he's done for you! _She told herself, staring at the crowd of students that were walking in front of her _Yeah, look at all the things he's _done _to you! Can't forget all of that. _Her other half of her mind told herself. Daphne was slightly resentful at all the things Blaise had tried to make her do, but she assumed that they were part of her girlfriend duties, although she still graciously made excuses not to.

"I'm sorry Blaise, but I can see now how short life really is." She said, her words ringing some truth "And when I think about the long run... the future," she paused, putting her hand on Blaise's arm and stoping him from walking. They stood in the middle of the crowd of people all eager to get come, staring at each other. Blaise looked angry or deflated, she wasn't sure which, and Daphne felt genuinely bad. "I would much rather have you as my _friend _then a boyfriend that I may fight with and never speak to again." She explained. These were all true facts; she wanted to be Blaise's friend, and not his girlfriend, since apparently what they were looking for in a relationship were two opposite things. Blaise wanted a girl who he could fool around with. Daphne wanted Draco. Still.

"True, but why are you doing this now?" Blaise replied in a low voice. "I mean, we're about to go home for the summer-"

"And what better time!" Daphne interrupted, looking back into his dark eyes "How would we ever see each other? You know how my parents are, and your mother is no doubt going to drag you off to Portugal or something. It's just not worth it to me." She sighed and looked at the crowd walking around them "Besides, I can't imagine you've been very satisfied with me."

"Well, I was hoping you would get over all of that soon. But I guess not." He shrugged. He too sighed and casually looked around, avoiding looking at her.

"So are we good? We understand each other then?" Daphne asked, grabbing his arm again. He looked down at it strangely for a moment, but sighed again and nodded his head slowly.

"You're right. It's better we stay friends." He grumbled in agreement. Daphne smiled a little and put her arms out for a hug. He stared at her for a moment, and then gave her a very stiff, very short, affectionless hug. _Wow, that was fast! I guess it didn't take a lot of heart break for him. _She thought as they started to walk towards the train again.

Once they caught up to Tracey and the others, they were already chatting about what they were going to do over the summer. Daphne and Blaise inserted themselves into the crowd casually, not no longer standing beside each other. Tracey gave Daphne an odd look, and all she had to do was nod her head; Tracey instantly understood and made an 'o' with her mouth.  
"So are you going to come visit me again in the summer, Daphne?" Draco asked suddenly. She was taken so off-guard that she had to get him to repeat the question. Pansy was over with Millicent, instructing her on how to stack their trunks. _Smart. He waited until she left to ask me. _She noted to herself.

"I'll see what I can do." She smiled "Perhaps you can come visit me. Or is that asking too much?" she smirked. Draco only shrugged his shoulders, then walked over to Pansy, putting his arm around her shoulders, and lead her onto the train.

"Round two has commenced, I see." Tracey whispered in her ear as she passed. Daphne gave her a smirk, and then the giggled together, climbing aboard the Hogwarts Express.

**_AN: _YES!! Year 4 is FINALLY DONE!! Whew!!  
Year 5 up soon-ish!!**

REVIEW!! LOVES!!


	11. Year 5 Part 1

_**AN: **Thanks to all of those, by the way, who take the time to review!! I'm sorry I haven't thanked you all before, but it means a lot to me._

_This is just a quick chapter that I wrote today. It's filler to the school year._

_Enjoy!!_

**Year 5**

The summer passed by very slowly for Daphne, with nothing but endless, repeated drama over and over again from her family. First, Astoria flat out refused to go to France to visit their grandmother, which made their mother cry for days. Then Astoria told her father that she was in love (what a surprise) with a boy from Drumstrang (shockingly _not_ the same one she tried to take to the Yule Ball), and wanted to go to visit him in Bulgaria instead. Their father, of course, flew into a furious temper, and Daphne felt the need to go for a walk along the river...

Daphne hadn't spoke to her parents willingly all summer. The fact that they broke her and Blaise up because they found him 'unfit' gave her a completely new perspective of the kind of people her parents were. If Blaise had been a mudblood or something, then she may have understood. But Blaise was from a pureblood family, and a _rich_ one at that! Clearly, her parents had some sort of motive that they didn't wish to share with their oldest daughter, and so she decided there was no point in even trying to ask. So now, at every meal, Daphne sat at the table, ate her meal, and replied to whatever question (if they spoke to her at all) with minimal words. And as soon as she was done, she left the table and retreated back to her room with Eris. Aside from meals, she never came out of her room, unless she was going for a walk in the village or a swim in the river.

She'd received a few letters so far this summer. The first came from Tracey, of course, demanding the details of her and Blaise breaking up, since she couldn't tell her on the train. Then Tracey asked her if she did plan on seeing Draco over the summer, to which she replied that she hadn't spoke to her father or Draco about it yet, but would see what she could do.

The next letter had come from Theodore, who was writing to tell her that he would be near her village later in the summer while his father was on business. Daphne wrote back that she would love to see him if he had time, and that he had to tell her the date before he arrived.

The final letter was from Blaise. She was surprised enough to see it, but was more surprised to see what was written inside. Blaise had completely reverted back into friend mode, and didn't even allude to the almost 6 month relationship they had! He said simple things like 'I'm traveling with mother in Transylvania right now; her new obsession is this vampire, who gives me the creeps!' or 'I saw an excellent Quidditch match yesterday! The Bulgarian's absolutely destroyed the French!  
It's strange to think that we went to school with Krum for a whole year!'  
_  
Well, if he's not going to mention anything, then neither am I! _She thought bitterly, throwing the letter into the fire and stalking away back up to her room. As she ascended the stairs, she heard the high pitched giggle of her sister, who had probably been spying on her while she read the letter. _I can't wait to get out of here... _

Her chance finally came. At the beginning of August, Theodore wrote that he was coming in 2 days, and that he was brining a surprise with him as well. This intrigued Daphne, and she finally plucked up the courage to ask her father the first question all summer.  
"Father, my friend is coming to visit on Friday. Do you mind if we hang around here a little bit and then go to the village?" she asked quietly that night, standing in the doorway of the library. He used this space as his office, where he worked hard to get business done for Lucius. Lennox looked up from his work and took off his reading glasses.

"So you've decided to speak to us at last." he remarked curtly, leaning back in his chair and watching her intently. Daphne sighed; she had more or less expected a reaction like this.

"Well, I was a little angry at you-"

"Angry for what?" her father snapped, putting his quill and glasses down and pushing his chair out from the desk. He stood and began to walk closer to her. Daphne swallowed the tiny fear in the back of her mind and tried her hardest to appear unshaken.

"Well, you made me break up with Blaise..." Daphne replied quietly, looking at the floor. Lennox stopped a couple feet away and leaned against the book shelf, his arms crossed.

"He was unsuitable for you, Daphne. Your mother and I don't want you marrying someone like that." He replied coolly.

"_Marry_!? Father, we were just _dating_!" she laughed awkwardly "The relationship wasn't going anywhere near something that required marriage." She lied; if Blaise had had his way, it certainly would have.

"But it was going somewhere, wasn't it?" her father said in a low voice. "When you think about having any sort of physical relationship with someone," Daphne could feel herself blushing already "Think about Tracey's mother! Look at the mess that made."

"Tracey's mother knows who the father is! They're married!" Daphne said, and then bit her lip; she probably wasn't supposed to say that.

"I know that! Lots of people know that." Lennox laughed "But look at all the lies she had to tell. Why? Because the match was _unsuitable_!"

"But father, Blaise _is _a pureblood! I can understand why you wouldn't want me with a mudblood, which I would never dream of, but why not Blaise? And he was from my house!" Daphne said, barely breathing as she waited for his answer.

"We have other plans for you." He said patronizingly. Daphne now gritted her teeth and stared at the floor again. "Blaise's mother makes him unsuitable. Yes, she's rich and powerful, but look at all the _men_ that she's married." He reminded her lightly "Any scandal would look bad on Blaise, and consequently you, and therefore us."

"Ah, so this is about _pride_." Daphne sniffed a quick laugh "And yet you let Astoria date half the school."

"Astoria is young; she is not as close to being married as you are." Lennox replied absently as he walked back to his desk and took his seat again, feverously writing something that he had just remembered.

"I'm 15, father! I'm not getting married any time soon." Daphne laughed in disbelief "And Astoria is going to disgrace our family if you don't put some sort of moral restraint on her!"

"Let _me_ worry about Astoria, not you." Her father replied firmly in his booming low voice. Daphne rolled her eyes and looked at the floor again.  
Daphne stood there in silence for a minute, watching him write like she wasn't even there. _No surprise; he's probably forgotten I'm here... _"So, can I have my friend  
over on Friday?" she asked again, this time more impatient. Lennox looked up at her again, and then looked back to his writing.

"Which friend?" he asked, continuing to write.

"Theodore Nott."

Lennox chuckled and then looked up again "Of course. His father is coming here that day to talk to me." He said lightly. Daphne pursed her lips; so this is where Theodore's father was coming... and no one had even mentioned it to her.

"Thanks for telling me." She mumbled. Lennox raised his eyebrows and leaned back in his chair.

"Why would I tell you? It's my business, and not to mention _you_ haven't spoken to me all summer." He pointed out. Daphne raised her eyebrows as well and smiled with a fake, sweet smile.

"And you wonder why?" she replied smartly. Now her father's eyebrows furrowed at her insolence.

"Daphne, I'm working. Please go bother someone else." He said sternly, before he moved back towards the desk and began to write again.

"Oh, well thank you for your time." She replied smartly again, and then she turned and trudged upstairs to her room. _I really REALLY can't wait to get out of here..._

Friday morning came so slow that Daphne thought that perhaps her clocks were broken. She sat around for the past 48 hours, moping and sighing every few minutes, waiting anxiously for someone of importance to her to come visit. It wore her out, and she slept through her alarm that morning. Lucky for her, she had a very different sort of alarm come wake her up.  
"Daphne." Someone called her. She could hear the voice in her dreams, but it only mixed in with the weird haze of noise she could hear "Daphne!" the voice called again. _Was that real? _She thought, suddenly waking herself up with a start. "There you are! I'm glad you forgot all about me coming."

"Theodore!" Daphne breathed, pulling her covers around her a little more; she couldn't believe that her father had actually let him come upstairs to her room, especially when he knew she was sleeping. "No, I meant to be up. I must have slept through my alarm..." she trailed off and smiled graciously at him "You have _no_ idea how happy I am you're here." She told him.

"Really?" he chuckled. "Because I bet I know something that will make you happier..." he smirked. At that moment, in a sudden bombardment from her doorway, leapt another person whom she recognised instantly.

"Surprise!" Tracey shouted as she jumped onto the bed with Daphne, very nearly stomping on her leg.

"Tracey!" Daphne said excitedly, giving her a giant hug "Oh, I'm so happy to see you both! This has been probably the worst summer ever!"

"You say that after _every_ summer, Daphne." Theodore pointed out, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. She laughed and shrugged, having to admit that was true.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Daphne sighed, flopping back on her pillows and staring at the ceiling. "As you have no doubt gathered, there isn't a lot of excitement in my house."

"You're joking right?" Tracey laughed "Theodore and I walked in on a great battle between your mother and sister! It was awesome!"

"Oh, that's nothing new. My sister wants to go visit her current boyfriend in Bulgaria, and of course my parents won't let her." Daphne replied absently, picking up a piece of hair and twisting it around her finger. "It gets old really quickly."

"Well, we can go into town, can't we?" Theodore offered "I really don't want to be in the same house as my father when he does business."

"Why not? Isn't my house suitable enough for you?" Daphne asked, crossing her arms at his statement.

"Well Daphne, in case you haven't noticed, our father's business isn't exactly _legal_." Theodore said quietly "And I'd rather not be around it as much as possible. I don't want to be guilty by association."

"Well said, Theodore!" Tracey smiled, clapping Theodore on the back "It's a good speech to give in court; I think they'll buy it, don't you?" she smirked, looking over at Daphne.

"Oh yes, of course! But only if you give them your puppy-dog eyes." Daphne laughed.

"Puppy-dog what?" Theodore asked, suddenly confused. The girls looked at each other and then giggled.

"Never mind Theodore." Daphne mumbled "Well, I'd better get dressed then, right? So are you two going to leave me alone for a moment or stand there watching?" Daphne laughed as she climbed out of bed. She had never been so thankful that she wore real pyjamas, and didn't sleep in her underwear and a tank top like she often did in the hot summer months.

"Well, I personally don't care to, but I think Theo here might enjoy it." Tracey laughed, bouncing down the bed and putting her arms around his shoulders.

Theodore rolled his eyes and stood up from the bed. "We'll wait outside." He said sternly and then exited her room. Tracey made a face to mimic how serious Theodore was, and then bounded after him.

After Daphne was changed, she gave them a very quick tour of the house... or at least she pointed out the rooms between her room and the front door.  
"Don't ever be a tour guide, Daphne." Theodore remarked as they stepped outside into the front garden. They walked down the cobblestone path across the 50 metres of vast, perfectly trimmed lawn and through the cast iron gate that lead onto the road. She glanced over her shoulder at her grey house, made with field stone and a slate roof, and smiled to herself when she saw that no one was watching her go.

"Well, where shall we go in the town?" Daphne asked, putting her arms around the shoulders of her two dearest friends.

"I think we should go find somewhere with Floo Powder." Tracey offered lightly

"Why?" Daphne and Theodore asked at the same time.

"I was thinking we go to London. Just for something to do." She shrugged casually, but the smirk on her face told them something very different.

"What's in London?" Theodore asked suspiciously.

"My question too." Daphne asked, now stopping and standing on the side of the road. Tracey tried to look like she was offended.

"What? You don't trust me?" she smirked.

Theodore and Daphne exchanged quick glances and replied a quick "No." Tracey crossed her arms and pouted.

"Well, can we at least _go_ to London? No offense Daphne, but your town seems pretty boring!" she said, waving her hand in the direction down the hill towards the cluster of buildings.

"None taken; in fact I agree. But I want to know what motives you have first." Daphne said, crossing her arms and waiting patiently.

"Well, let's just say that there may or may not be a sidewalk sale in Diagon Ally." Tracey shrugged to herself. Daphne's eyes lit up instantly; she had always heard  
of the fanciful sidewalk sale, but was always in France at the time. "But if you don't want to go-"

"NO! Don't be silly!" Daphne interrupted, taking her friend's by their arms again. "I'll take you right to the station!" she said cheerfully.

"I hate shopping, by the way." Theodore remarked dully.

"Of course you do. That's why we're going to _buy _things for you." Tracey smiled, patting her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not wearing anything that resembles a dress or is pink." He said firmly.

"Damn it! Well,_ now_ there's no point in going!" Daphne cried out dramatically before her and Tracey burst into a fit of giggles.

Daphne lead them to a small, very run-down looking tinker shop that was in the back of a long, dirty alley. Inside the shop, in the fireplace that would have been used by a tinker to work on pots and pans, was the local public Floo Network access. The single man that sat sleeping in the corner was supposed to make sure that no muggles stumbled upon the place, but he apparently wasn't very good at his job...  
"Well, let's get moving. Should we just go straight to Diagon Alley? Or go somewhere else first?" Daphne asked, taking some Floo Powder from a giant urn, which to muggles would have looked like a pile of ash.

"No point in going to my house. If we're being rebellious, we don't want our parents knowing about it." Tracey shrugged, also taking a hand-full.

"I still don't want to go. I'd rather stay here then go back to dirty old London." Theodore grumbled as he too took a hand-full.

"Trust me Theodore; nothing goes on here." Daphne reassured him. "Besides, this is an adventure! I've never been to London without my parents."

"So we're sure to get mugged." Theodore said dully. Daphne made a face at him and then stepped into the fireplace.

"Diagon Ally!" she called, and in a flash of green, felt herself being flow through space, and a minute later, popping out of the fireplace at the stationary shop. Clearly not interested in buying any stationary, she exited the shop and headed straight for Madame Malkins.

Daphne felt like she was on the hunt; everywhere she looked, there were racks of clothing flooding out of the front door of the robe shop onto the sidewalk, which was crowded with many woman, all looking for the same thing. Everything that Daphne saw, it was either too small, way too big, or was snatched up by someone else the moment she laid eyes on it. _This is madness! _Daphne thought as she watched two witches very nearly have a duelling match over a robe.  
Suddenly, someone had their arm around Daphne's waist and covered her eyes. Instead of screaming, she just froze in place. It was probably Tracey or Theodore trying to be funny. And who in their right mind would try and kidnap someone in broad daylight?  
"Guess who?" the voice said quietly in her ear. It was a guy, so it certainly wasn't Tracey, but it didn't sound like Theodore either... She stood there in silence for a moment thinking, and then it finally hit her, and her heart started to race.

"What are you doing here?" she breathed, smiling very slightly. His hands didn't move from her body, and she felt her temperature rise a little. She thought that perhaps she might faint right in his arms, but told herself that that would be far too dramatic (and obvious).

"Am I not allowed to shop?" he asked, his tone non-threatening. Daphne laughed and ducked out of his blindfold, but not his hold on her waist.

"I don't know Draco, don't you have people who do this sort of thing for you?" she teased, not gently walking out of his grip; Pansy was probably around here somewhere, and the last thing she wanted was her on a rampage. Her body was practically shaking with nerves; she hadn't spoken to him in over a month, and yet he had the same effect of her.

"Have you _seen_ the clothes my mother buys for me?" he smirked. Daphne smiled at his answer, and then felt a little daring to ask something more.

"Well, doesn't _Pansy_ buy you nice things?" she asked, very careful not to sound too curious.

"Pansy's is in Germany for the summer. Sick aunt or something." He replied absently "So no, she doesn't buy me anything... she sends me lots of stuff, but she hasn't bought be anything yet."  
_  
Key words being 'yet'..._Daphne thought. But then she read between the lines. "So you're here alone?" she asked, pretending to be interested in the clothes again.

"My mother's off somewhere." He remarked, also looking at the clothes. "God, this place is like a zoo!" he remarked snidely as he watched two more women argue over a hat.

"Clothes are important to women. Our appearance is what defines who we are, to an extent." Daphne said lightly as she examined the material on a dress robe.

"Well said." Draco chuckled "So what does_ that_ say about that woman?" he said, nodding his head in the direction of a women who looked like she got dressed in the dark. She wore a lime green dress with bright blue tights and mud brown shoes. Her hair was in every direction but one, and she seemed like she was in a hurry.

"That she clearly has no time to take care of herself, or doesn't care what other people think of her because she has bigger things to worry about. She probably has a family." Daphne said, looking at the woman discretely.

"You can tell all that from the way someone dresses?" Draco laughed, shaking his head a little. "So what does that say about me?" he asked, stepping into her field of vision. Daphne felt her heart race a little more, but she took a deep breath before she focused on him. He was wearing black pants and a dark green dress shirt. Of course he looked good! There was no other option for someone with his amount of wealth and sense of style!

"Uh, well..." she started, stopping herself from staring at him too long. "Clearly, you buy the best of the best-"

"Well, that's obvious." He smirked, leaning on the clothes rack.

"Of course... and so, uh, that means you take extra time getting ready. You know that appearance is the first thing someone notices in a person." Daphne said faintly. She paused, and then noticed that Draco was staring at her. Feeling a blush-attack coming on, she turned back to the rack of clothing hastily.

"Where did you learn this?" Draco asked, pocketing something that he saw off a small table behind them. Daphne said nothing; no one would dare call him out on it anyways.

"My mother has always told my sister and I little useless trinkets like that." She shrugged, trying hard not to let him see her face. "Not that it ever helped me dress any better." She mumbled to herself, but unfortunately Draco heard her.

"You don't dress too bad." He said. She could feel his eyes give her the once over, and she felt her face go even redder. She wasn't wearing wizarding clothes, but it was still an alright outfit! She wore a pair of dark washed jeans, white running shoes, and a light yellow blouse with a white tank top underneath. It wasn't her best outfit, but it was something that a normal muggle would wear in public, which is where she was intending to go to in the first place. _I bet Draco thinks I look horrible though..._

"Well, I didn't know I was coming here..." she smiled weakly, still not looking directly at him. "Tracey and Theodore came over, and we decided to sneak away and come here."

"Tracey and Theodore? Are they around here somewhere?" Draco asked, turning his head slightly to scan the crowds.

"I haven't seen them yet. I would imagine they came from a different Floo Powder grate." She not felt calm enough to turn back and look at him "I'm sure they'll pop up again soon." She said lightly.

"Want me to help look for them?" Draco offered. Daphne felt her heart race again; a chance to walk around with Draco, without anyone else? _Yes, please! _She thought cheerfully, and opened her mouth to accept... until she was interrupted.

"_There _you are!" Tracey called across the crowd, shoving a small child out of her way. "We've been looking for you _everywhere_!" she added, tugging Theodore through the crowd towards the clothes. "Oh, and you found Draco!" she said, smiling at Draco with greetings, but giving Daphne her knowing look.

"I guess we don't need to look for them after all." Draco remarked casually. Someone apparently caught his eye and he waved slightly to whoever he was looking at.

"Oh, were you worried about us?" Tracey smirked. Daphne gave her a small glare, but remained composed as much as she could.

"Draco darling, what are you doing looking at these clothes?" an airy voice said, a pale hand descending on his shoulder. Narcissa Malfoy appeared behind her son and examined the clothes like they were rags.

"I was talking to Daphne, mother." Draco replied stiffly, making a small face that his mother couldn't see.

"Ah, Miss Greengrass." Narcissa gave a small, almost forced smile. "Are you shopping here?" she asked, like it was a question of her marital status.

"Oh, uh, no." Daphne said awkwardly "I'm just browsing; something to pass the time." She smiled weakly when she finished.

"Ah, well that's nice." Narcissa replied like someone under the imperius curse; completely absent and not caring. "Well, we'd best be off. Lovely seeing you all." She said before she turned her son away from the shop and towards Knockturn Alley. Draco glanced over his shoulder and gave the three of them a quick wave, which  
Daphne sighed dreamily and returned slowly.

"I'm sorry we were late now; we missed Daphne making an idiot of herself!" Tracey laughed, stepping forward and beginning to dig through the racks of clothing.

"You _would_ bring that up in front of Theodore." Daphne hissed under her breath. Theodore wasn't close enough to hear; he was staring into a shop window a few metres away.

"Oh, he has no idea, don't worry!" Tracey giggled. "But Draco, I think, may start to get the idea."

Daphne said nothing in response. Now that she was single again, she was in the mood for someone to take the place of 'boyfriend' in her life. But not like her sister, who picks up the first male that walks by after she's dumped the old one. This boy had to be _perfect_! And perfect meant _Draco Malfoy_.

"We have to bring her down, Tracey." Daphne whispered through the rack of clothing they were standing on either side of.

"Bring who down?" Tracey asked lightly, waiting for her to say the same she had been long waiting for.

"Pansy. I want to bring her down. I want him."

"YES! _Finally_!" Tracey exclaimed loudly, bringing some looks from the people around them. "And how do you propose to do that?"

"I don't know..." Daphne said in a low, determined voice, looking up over the rack down towards the narrow alleyway that Draco and his mother disappeared through. She could just see a final glimpse of blonde hair before they disappeared around the corner "I just want it done."

There was no time to start planning that day. Theodore was with them for the remainder of the shopping adventure, and although Daphne and Tracey wanted to go eat at the Leaky Cauldron (for an excuse to go to the ladies room_, alone_), Theodore brought up that it was almost 6 o'clock, and their parents would be wondering where they are by now. Tracey and Daphne had to reluctantly accept that their planning would have to be saved for another day. So they made arrangements to see each other at some time in the next week...

And then they got home.

"_WHERE_ did you go!?" Daphne's mother shrieked the instant she saw them walking up the front path. Tracey and Theodore exchanged very frightened glances. Medea Greengrass had the effect of resembling an angry banshee when she was furious. She stood on the front porch, Astoria smirking behind her. Luckily for Daphne, her father was nowhere to be seen... for now.

"I think that's our cue to leave." Tracey whispered to Theodore.

"Thanks a lot guys." Daphne grumbled, looking ahead at her mother like she was Snape with a surprise potions exam. A man began to walk towards them, dressed in an all black outfit that resembled something Snape wore, and wild dark hair that stuck out in every direction like he'd been in a windstorm. "Is _that _your father?" Daphne breathed, noting that he indeed looked very fierce and frightening.

"It is indeed." Theodore said lightly, which was uncommonly odd for him. Either Theodore was very proud of his father, or trying very hard to seem like he was. "May I introduce, Mr. Tobias Nott." Theodore said very formally, holding his one arm out to present him. "Father, this is Daphne."

"I've heard all about Miss Greengrass." He said in a voice that sounded identical to Theodore's low and cold voice. "Your parents have been shouting about you for the past hour and a half." He chuckled a little and clapped his hand on his son's shoulder "You three are in a lot of trouble."

"So I've noticed..." Daphne sighed, looking back at her mother, her red hair looking more like fire than ever before. "Well Tracey, I'm afraid we're going to have to postpone our date." She said, turning to her friend and giving her a hug good-bye. "If I don't make it out alive, will you take care of Eris?" she said, half-joking.

"I hate cats, but for yours I'll make an exception." She sighed, clearly sorry for whatever was about to come Daphne's way. Daphne smiled and turned to Theodore, who was already looking a little worried.

"Try not to have too much fun without me." She smirked, holding her arms out for a hug. He only shook his head and smirked before he gave her a hug good-bye as well. "See you both in September... if I live." She said before she sighed and turned towards her house.

With each step she took, she could see her families expressions more clearly. Her mother looked horrified and offended by something. Her sister had a smug smile of victory on her face, and sat on the side of the porch petting her cat diabolically. And worst of all, her father now stood in the doorway, his eyes dark with anger. _I'm in for it now..._ she thought, taking the 6 steps up to her front porch deliberately slow. Her mother, apparently not satisfied with the speed she was traveling at, gripped her by the shoulder and shoved her inside, shrieking something that was audible or understandable. Astoria was laughing heartily behind her mother, clearly amused at the sight of her older sibling who had given her so much grief being punished. And her father merely stepped aside to let his family back into the house, and then slammed the front door.

The lecture had gone on for about an hour. Daphne was sat down in a single chair in front of her father's desk, while her parents stood on either side of her, taking turns to shout and scream at her.  
"Wander off to _London_!? Without a parent? Do you even know what's happening in the world right now!?" her father boomed angrily.

"I can't believe you would lie to us like that! Bring your friends up here just so you can go take off to London all day! And without even telling us!" Medea screamed, her hands waving in the air like she was trying to fly. Astoria was sitting in the corner on couch, still petting her cat, and chuckling under her breath at everything that was going on.

Daphne said nothing. She sat slouched in the chair, and stared straight ahead at the window that looked out to the front yard. She focused on the lights on the village of Woodbridge, at the bottom of the hill that she could see down from the house. The more they yelled at her, the harder she stared. How did they find out? And what was the big deal? So she went to London with her friends? Big deal!? It's not like she ran about the streets waving her wand at Muggles or blew up Gringotts! But from the way they were shouting at her, those things seemed trivial.

"Are you even listening to us?!" Medea shouted, trying to step in front of her daughter's dead-set stare, but the desk was in the way.

"She'd better be!" Lennox growled angrily. Daphne rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed sigh.

"How can I listen to you both when you're going to make me go deaf?" she mumbled, not breaking her stare with the scenery outside.

A clamp of a grip snapped around her jaw and turned her face towards her father. He glared down at her, his fingers gripping into her skin so hard that she could feel his finger nails digging into her skin. "HOW _DARE_ YOU TALK TO US LIKE THAT!" he shouted into her face. Daphne fought with every ounce of her strength not to cry at the pain or with the fear she had of her father. Over her left shoulder, she could hear Astoria barely able to stifle the giggling fit she was having "We never _told_ you that you could go to London _alone_! Do you realize the _trouble_ you could have gotten_ us_ in!?"

"I never realized it was such an issue." She replied flatly, her tone angering her father more.

"Of course you didn't! You don't realize anything! You're so self-absorbed in your own world that you have no idea what's happening!" he spat, still gripping her face. Then he looked at her in disgust for a moment before he pushed her face out of his hand and walked around to the other side of the desk, sitting in his chair directly in front of her.

"Self-absorbed? " she said in the same flat tone, her head not facing the exact same spot it was before, but now with her father sitting directly across from her, she was glaring right into his eyes. "If that's what I am, then it still only makes me an _angel_ compared to her." She growled. None of them needed to ask who she was referring to.

"DON'T YOU BRING YOUR SISTER INTO THIS!" Medea screeched so loud that Daphne visibly cringed, wondering if her ears were going to bleed now.

"WHY NOT!" Daphne shouted, standing up and throwing the chair back from behind her so hard that it toppled over. She rounded on her mother; being the same height as her, she wasn't as afraid of her.

"I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU ALL YEAR WHAT SHE DOES! AND YOU DO NOTHING!" she yelled, pointing her finger behind her at her sister, who was no doubt making some sort of indignant shock right now. "And you tell ME that I'M embarrassing the family!? LOOK AT HER! Ask her how many boys she's dated! I'll bet she isn't even a virgin anymore!"

"ENOUGH!" Lennox shouted, pounding his fists on the table so hard that a pile of books toppled off the desk and onto the floor. "Astoria is not the issue right now; you are!" he growled, gripping the edge of the table as some sort of anger management.

"My point exactly!" Daphne sniffed a ironic laugh "I do something so small as sneak out of the village for a few hours." She now turned and looked at her sister, who was petting her cat very slowly, the smirk on her face clearly showing Daphne that she had no fear of being punished "SHE dates every male in Europe, and you don't even turn a hair!"

"She is not THE ISSUE!" Medea shouted, grabbing Daphne by the arm and yanking her around again so she was facing her. "You have deliberately disobeyed our rules!"

"You never said I couldn't go to London. Or even that I couldn't leave the village." Daphne said in the same flat tone. Her mother's eyes filled with rage, but Lennox beat her to the punch.

"We thought you were smarter than to need it spelled out for you!" Lennox said in a low tone. He paused and nodded at his wife to let go of Daphne, which she did, and took a step back from her. Daphne crossed her arms and turned to face her father head on. "The Dark Lord is back, as you well know. There are people who are _praying_ for a chance to get a hold of someone like you or Theodore."

"Why? We aren't Death Eaters." Daphne sniffed a short laugh again.

"But you _know_ Death Eaters, you fool!" Lennox said with frustration. "Just from our family friends, you know more about the Dark Lord's plans then the Ministry could ever hope to get their hands on! One tiny drop of Truth Serum, and everything goes up in smoke!" her father said with a pound of his fist on the table again to drive his point "And then you know what happens to us? We all _die _for your foolish mistake!" he hissed "I don't suppose that thought ever occurred to you; that you're endangering _us_ as well as you!"  
_  
God Forbid..._ she thought, and had to fight to hold it back. She glared at him for a few moments, waiting for him to continue. When he did not, she shifted her weight arrogantly and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Can I go upstairs now?"

Lennox and Medea exchanged looks of horror. "Does nothing we've said mean ANYTHING to you!?" Medea shrieked, causing yet another visible cringe.

"Why should it." Daphne replied in a low, flat tone. Medea's face looked like she had been cursed, and her father looked angrier than he ever had "You do _nothing_ but yell and scream at me, and _favour_ her!" she said, throwing another point at her sister.

"Why you ungrateful little-"Lennox started, his voice so low that she knew he was warming up to a gigantic roar.

"What!? Little _what_!?" she shouted, cutting him off. "I may not be _popular_, or _pretty_, or _smart_!" she started, her tone louder but less controlled than before. She could feel tears building up, but she refused to let them out now. "But I'd rather be ANYTHING but those things if it means I have to be a _slut_ like her!" she shouted.

In a quick flash, her mother's hand flew across her face in a sharp slap. Daphne ground her teeth together to fight back the tears that had to be visible now. She turned her head back and glared at her mother, and then her father. He gripped the table so hard that she was sure he was going to snap the ledge off it at this rate.

"Get upstairs now before I knock that smart mouth off your face." He growled, his voice barely above a hushed whisper. Daphne narrowed her eyes at the threat, and sneered a vicious smile.

"With pleasure." She replied in the same whisper of hatred, and then turned on her heel and stormed upstairs.

That night, she didn't sleep. She stayed awake, staring out her window view over the river, tears silently falling down her cheeks. She hated them; she hated them more than anything. She hated her sister for making them so brainwashed. She hated her entire family, and she couldn't wait to leave it.

_**AN: **So, a little look into the life of Daphne. Pretty scary. I have to admit I love writing Medea, just because she reminds me of some sort of insane bird or something!! HAHA_

Anyways, next chapter up soon! Hope you enjoyed this little one, and I can't wait to write the next one!!

**Review!!  
(Go on... click it... you know you want to!)**


	12. Year 5 Part 2

_**AN: Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed!! It really helps me a lot!!**_

**I still don't own Harry Potter, btw. Working on it. Jokes.**

Standing on the platform, Daphne crossed her arms impatiently. Her parents were wishing precious Astoria good-bye, and still holding her envelope of money. Despite the hostility between Daphne and her parents, they couldn't keep the money under her name; the envelope that her mother held in her talon-like grasp was cursed so it could only be opened by Daphne, or risk having the life shocked out of them. Daphne tapped her foot while she waited for her family to get over with their hugs and kisses (none of which were coming in her direction).  
"Now, I want you to study extra hard this year, Astoria." Her mother mused, tucking one of her daughters blonde ringlets behind her ear.

"And don't get into any trouble, darling." Lennox smiled, handing Astoria her envelope of money; she instantly tore it opened and smiled widely in surprise. Apparently, she'd gotten more than before.

Daphne rolled her eyes and took 5 steps forward and ripped her envelope out of her mother's hand. She didn't bother to open it, she just shoved it into her pocket and started for the train.

"_Daphne_!" her mother hissed angrily. "Do not _grab_ things like you're a child!" Daphne rolled her eyes and stopped and turned back to face her family.

"Should have thought about that before you started treating me like one." She smiled snarkily. Lennox and Medea exchanged looks before they both stepped forward so they were standing directly in front of her.

"I really hope that you're attitude is going to change this year." Her father warned, his mouth barely moving from the snarl be was holding back.

"Yes, and if it doesn't, your days are numbered!" Medea added, her voice low and calm, but her eyes telling the exact opposite. The last thing either of her parents was to make a scene in public. If Daphne wouldn't also feel embarrassed by such a thing, she would have been screaming and shouting right now just to make them angry. _But that's something Astoria would do... being the spoiled child she is. _Daphne reminded herself.

"Love you too." She replied in a low, emotionless tone. Then she turned around to get on the train, but was blocked by a wall of black.

"Seeing off your children, Lennox?" the voice of Lucius Malfoy "I thought you would have been tied up with all the work I gave you last week."

"Nope, I got it all done straight away!" Lennox said cheerfully. Daphne made a face at her father's sudden change in personality.

"Excellent." Lucius said in his light, airy voice. Daphne stood awkwardly between the men, unable to get around Lucius with her trunk, but not wanting to turn around and face her father again.

"Ah, Narcissa!" Medea exclaimed happily, stepping forward to give her a kiss on the check. Narcissa, surprisingly, also looked pleased to see her.

"Medea, how are you?" she said in a tone that she had never heard before; could it possibly be genuine conversation, and not a forced remark?!

"Oh, I'm just fine." Medea replied, flipping her long red hair over her shoulder and nearly hitting Daphne in the face. Her mother said her out of the corner of her eye and smirked a little. "I never got to thank you for telling me where my daughter was last month." She said, turning her head with a viscious smile on her lips and looking back at Daphne "She was worried about all the trouble you could have gotten into too."  
_  
So that's how they found out. _Daphne smiled sarcastically. _Narcissa Malfoy, I will never look at you the same... even if you are part Veela in looks.  
_"I'm going on the train now." Daphne announced lightly, indirectly hinting to Lucius that he was in her way. He looked down at her for a moment, and she felt a chill flow over her body; he could be quite terrifying when he wanted to be.

"It was nice seeing you again, Daphne." He said civilly; clearly he really didn't care. And why should he? She wasn't important to him. "Draco was made a prefect this year." He announced. Daphne smiled a little at this thought; with Draco as a prefect, her housemates could get away with so much more.

"Good-bye." She said cheerfully and slipped past Lucius and Narcissa, who were chatting about something that she didn't care about; her sister.

She pushed her way onto the train and dumped her trunk into the first empty compartment she could find. And she sat and waited. 20 minutes passed before anyone appeared that she wanted to talk to. And even that was a stretch.  
"Well, here you are." Blaise replied quietly as he pulled his trunk into the car and shoved it underneath the seat. "Glad to see you're alive. I was beginning to wonder, since you didn't reply to my letter." He remarked, his tone sounding a little rough.

"Sorry, I couldn't think of something friendly to reply that wouldn't hint to our six month relationship like you did." She quipped, flashing a quick smile. Blaise frowned a little and turned his attention to someone passing in the halls. He stood up and called to them; a moment later, Theodore and Tracey appeared.

"So she did live!" Tracey exclaimed, nudging Theodore in the ribs before she ran forward and gave Daphne a hug.

"Barely." She remarked in a low tone. "How about you two?"

"Oh, Theodore got the lecture. I got grounded for 2 weeks." Tracey said, taking a seat beside Daphne and crossing her legs on the seat.

"Ah, well I got screamed at and socially exiled for the rest of the month." Daphne said cheerfully. Theodore and Tracey looked at each other, but said nothing. There was a noise from the bottom of her seat, and Daphne was reminded that Eris needed to eat. She opened the cage and took out her Siamese cat, setting it in her lap.

"So Draco's a prefect now. So is Pansy."Blaise stated, leaning his head back against the wall. "Well, advantage is we won't have to see them snogging each other constantly."

"No, instead they'll be doing it in dark hallways at night." Theodore smirked. "Better for us though."

Tracey caught Daphne's eye and nodded her head towards the door. "Did you want to come with me to the washroom?"

"You can't possibly mean that you have to go _already_?" Blaise chuckled.

"We're not going to the bathroom; we're going to gossip!" Tracey announced cheerfully. Daphne chuckled lightly at this.

"You're not supposed to tell them that." She giggled.

"And we really didn't need to know." Theodore sighed, flopping into the seat beside Blaise.

"Try not to let it weigh on your mind. And here, hold Eris!" Daphne smiled sweetly before plopping her cat in his lap. Theodore raised his hands in the air as if the cat was poisonous. He turned and gave them a very dark glare.

"Don't be long please." He said, still holding his hands high above his lap, where Eris now kneaded his leg.

Daphne and Tracey retreated into the single stall of the washrooms; the only place on the train where they might have a private conversation. They crammed into the 4-by-4 space and closed the door behind them. Daphne was standing with one leg on either side of the toilet, her hands pressed up against the walls to try and keep her balance. Tracey leaned against the door for balance, holding onto a bar that was bolted to the wall.  
"OK! Now that we have a moment," she started, lowering her voice "What are we going to do about Pansy?"

"I don't know! That was _your_ mission! I've been trying to avoid my parents all month!" Daphne whispered quickly. Tracey rolled her eyes and sighed.

"You told me no such thing." She mumbled to herself. "Well, we're here now! What are we going to do?"

"I have no idea! And I don't think talking in the bathroom is going to make me come up with ideas any faster."

"Well, think of something!" Tracey hissed, leaning her head against the door with impatience.

"I don't even know! I can't say I've ever brought someone down before-"

"Tick tick tick tick! That's time wasting away!" Tracey said, waving her finger in front of her like a metronome. "Every second you waste is another second she gets closer to him!"

"I'll think of something, ok!" Daphne hissed, putting her face in one of her hands. At that moment, the train started to move. The sudden jerk made Daphne lose her balance, and she slipped on the floor, landing hard right onto of the toilet seat. "OWW!" she shouted, trying to get back up. Tracey was laughing so hard that she could barely stand. "Stop laughing and help me up!" Daphne hissed, pushing her out of the way and snatching the bar she had been holding on to. She pulled herself up off the toilet, checking to make sure she didn't get wet or dirty. "Alright, I think we're done." Daphne grumbled, reaching around her doubled-over-with-laughter friend and opening the door. Tracey, who had been leaning on the door, tumbled into the hallway backwards; she landed on her back and laughed even harder. There were several 4th years standing around them, looking at them with very confused expressions. "C'mon Tracey, get up." She shook her head, smiling a little at the hilarity of the situation. When she pulled her up and set her walking, she shoved a few of the on-lookers out of the way and trudged back to the car with Tracey.

The remainder of the train ride was very dull. Theodore and Blaise were arguing over what Quidditch Team had the better players, and despite Tracey's frequent attempts to change the subject, nothing worked.  
"Like children." Daphne mumbled, shaking her head a little as they started arguing again.

"Or an old married couple." Tracey chuckled. "So if Draco's a prefect, does that mean he should be making rounds eventually?"

"In theory. He's probably tied up somewhere." Daphne said, inwardly sighing and staring out the window. The scenery of Northern England flew by in a blur as the train traveled across the plains and hills. The trees were still green, but the sky was starting to reflect the grey of the incoming winter. _Another year... another 10 months away from my parents. _She smiled a little to herself at that thought.

"Daphne? Are you listening?" Tracey broke her trance, taking her by the shoulder and shaking her a little.

"What!? What's happening?" Daphne spluttered. She hadn't realized that she had dozed off while staring out the window.

"I said Draco's here." Tracey smiled. Daphne felt her face turn a light shade of pink as she looked passed her best friend, and towards the most gorgeous man alive.

"Having a little nap?" he teased, smiling a little. Daphne smiled as well and shrugged her shoulders. Movement behind Draco caught her attention; Pansy.

"Ah, Pansy!" Daphne exclaimed excitedly. "How was your summer?! Draco told me about having to go to Germany."

"Yeah, my aunt's dead." She said lightly "But I got to spend a month in Berlin! It was gorgeous!" Pansy said, slipping in her hand into Draco's. "But I missed Draco every minute."

"We've both been made prefect." Draco said proudly.

"So your father told me." Daphne then remembered something else "By the way; thanks for nearly getting me killed this summer! How could you let your mother tell my parents about me being in London!?" she pouted.

"I didn't know until after that she had." Draco shrugged. "And I thought your parents knew; it was pretty stupid to go all the way to London from your house without telling them."

Daphne crossed her arms and leaned back against the chair; everyone was against her.

"Well, we'd better keep going." Draco announced, looking at Pansy and smiling. "See you all at dinner." They all said a quick good-bye, and then Tracey turned to Daphne, a smirk of devious planning on her face.

"I have an idea, Daphne. I'll tell you later." She said quietly.

"Excellent." Daphne also smirked, and then turned to look out the window again.

Dinner that night was particularly boring. If it weren't for Astoria having a clearly heated argument with one of her friends across the table from her (one that the entire Great Hall could no doubt hear), Daphne would have surely fallen asleep.  
"Does she _ever_ stop?" Theodore asked, looking down in the same direction as Daphne was staring.

"Stop what, exactly?" she sighed, turning away and picking at her food.

"Acting like she's the most important thing in the world?"

"Oh, that." Daphne chuckled a little, shaking her head slowly "Nope, my parents have reinforced that idea for so long that she actually believes it now."

"I'm not sure how; she really is an awful person." Theodore remarked as he too turned away from the scene and continued to eat.

"She's terrified of you still." Daphne smiled lightly. "She still believes you're going to murder her in her sleep."

"Would you like me to?" he joked, laughing quietly as he cut up his fish.

"I would love you forever if you did!" Daphne laughed. At this point, Tracey looked up from her meal across from them and looked directly at Theodore.

"Not a bad bargain, is it Theo?" she smiled deviously.

"Please don't call me that." Theodore mumbled before he continued to eat.

Down the table, she could hear the argument getting louder, and now there were several groups of students watching. Whatever the two girls were fighting over, it was no doubt something serious to have them shouting at each other. Daphne tried to hear, but Blaise was talking so loudly about his mother's new fiancé that she couldn't understand them. "Blaise, shut up for a moment!" Daphne hissed, putting her hand on his arm to stop him from talking. Blaise, Draco, and Pansy all turned in the direction Daphne was looking to watch the show.

"...haven't even got a chance with him!" Astoria shouted at the girl, who Daphne thought was one of her closest friends.

"Why? Just because _you've_ dated him doesn't make him off limits!" the brunette fumed, her eyes clearly filled with hatred and envy. This was one friendship that Daphne didn't think was going to last after tonight.

"No, the fact that he wouldn't touch you, even if you did have a chance, is why!" Astoria spat, her blonde hair tied up in a high pony tail, allowing Daphne to see her sister's expression. It was one of determination and cruelty; typical of her sister.

"Well, he and I have been seeing each other since May, so you're wrong!" the girl smirked. Astoria's expression was clearly shocked and insulted. Daphne was starting to put together that this was one of her sister's recent ex-boyfriends; probably the one she dumped in June before dating the Bulgarian from Drumstrang.

Astoria was furious, and stood up in an instant, shaking the bench she was sitting on. Then she picked up her glass of pumpkin juice and threw it in the girls face.  
The whole Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables had stopped what they were doing and turned to watch. "Fine! You can have him, you whore!" she shouted, before she climbed over the bench and stormed off. Two of the other 3rd year Slytherin girls ran after her, while two more stayed behind with the now juice-soaked opponent. They too left shortly after.

Daphne sighed and put her face in her hands, shaking her head very slowly. "I'm changing my name." She announced, her face still in her hands.

"To what?" Draco asked, chuckling a little after watching everything that had happened.

"_Anything_ but Greengrass. I'm willing to take _Potter _if I have to!" she sighed, putting her hands down on the table and smiling very ironically "Do you see what I have to deal with on a daily basis?"

"You should get hazard pay." Tracey remarked casually, before she started to pick at the newly arrived desert tray. Daphne sighed and also started to dig for some sweets; something sugary was just what she needed after witnessing someone so sour.

One thing that none of the Slytherin's had been counting on this year back was the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Umbridge was the sort of woman than made Daphne's flesh crawl, with the manor and determination of someone like her mother. Their classes were all inspected by this stout woman, who made every other teacher in the school groan and grumble with distrust. But Umbridge held the ministry high above their heads, and tried to make anyone who spoke out against her order a traitor to the Minister of Magic himself.  
"She's a real piece of work, isn't she?" Tracey whispered as they passed by the first Educational Decree that she had nailed onto the wall outside the Great Hall.

"Reminds me of my mother." Daphne grumbled. They walked in silence for a moment before they passed a couple that were holding each other in a hug very tightly. Daphne's memory was suddenly triggered. "What was this brilliant plan you had on the train that you've yet to tell me about?" she asked curiously.

"I was wondering when you would remember." Tracey smiled brightly "And before you ask, no it will not kill her or maim her in any way. But it will make her seem quite awful in Draco's eyes."

"And that is?" Daphne urged. Tracey said nothing, only gestured for her to follow.

She led Daphne outside and to the shores of the Black Lake, which was looking calmer and more serene than ever. Tracey took a seat on the trunk of an old, fallen tree, and motioned for Daphne to sit beside her. "Well? Out with it!" Daphne demanded, her impatience weighing heavy on her mind.

"We're going to convince her to break up with him." Tracey said slowly.

"You mean _him_ with _her_, right?" Daphne corrected.

"No!" Tracey groaned dramatically "Don't you see? If you make _him_ break up with _her,_ there you're surely putting your own neck on the line! She'll guess in two seconds that it was you who convinced him!"

"But if we tell _her _to break up with _him_, won't it be the same?" Daphne said, running her hand through her strawberry blonde curls. "She can still guess that it was me that put all the ideas into her head."

"Ideas? Oh no, I'm talking about visuals." Tracey said slowly again. Daphne turned and looked at her friend, who was nodding her head very slowly.

"And who would we offer up as the bait?" Daphne inquired, turning in her seat to face Tracey more head on.

"Whomever we choose. We just need an opportunity." Tracey smirked.

"And what are you going to tell her? That we saw them sneak away into a broom closet?"

"Well, that's the thing! We have to be extra observant! We have to find a situation to bring to Pansy's attention, twist the truth a little, and then blame someone else for leading _us _astray. We cover all the evidence up!" she said, her smile growing wider as she waited for Daphne to think the plan over. _It could work _she thought darkly.

"That's a pretty simply plan." Daphne smiled to herself, staring back out over the lake again.

"There's one more thing, though." Tracey added. Daphne turned back and looked at her friend, who frowned a little and sighed "We have to become closer to Pansy." She said, looking like she wanted to curse at the name "Otherwise, she won't believe us when we tell her. We have to become closer to Pansy then _Millicent _is!"

"Now you're asking too much." Daphne said bitterly and stood from the log. "I can't stand seeing her with Draco as it is! You expect me to stand around and _smile_ while he kisses her instead of me!?"

"Things like this build character." Tracey remarked coolly.

"Character can kiss me arse! I don't give a damn how much stronger I'll be after; I want him to myself!" Daphne raved, turning and walking towards the shore. She stood on the edge and glared down at the dark waters. "Ever since I had to get rid of Blaise, I've had this... _urge_. I want someone... I _need_ someone. And there is only _one_ someone who will fix the problem!" she looked up and across the lake again "I'm not going to push myself aside for my family anymore. I don't care what they say anymore."

"So then why not ask Blaise out again?" Tracey asked, still sitting on the log. Daphne turned on her heal and looked back in shock.

"Didn't I just say I _only_ want Draco?! Blaise is old news to me."Daphne sighed "And you want me to become best buds with Pansy..."

"Well, I'm suffering through this torture with you, remember? I'm not happy about being all buddy-buddy with Pansy either!" Tracey pointed out lightly "And I'm not even getting a boyfriend out of it."

"Then what are you getting out of it?" Daphne asked curiously, her eyebrows raised as she waited.

"The thrill of watching that bitch go down." Tracey said darkly. "After all the times she's made cracks about my mother and me being half Muggle, I'm_ so_ ready to take her down a few notches!"

"Spoken like a true Slytherin." Daphne smirked. "Shall we get to class? Otherwise, we may have to face the wrath of the evil toad." She said, puffing up her up her cheeks to look like Umbridge. Tracey shrieked with laughter and linked arms with her as they walked back up the hills towards the school.

Classes whisked by quickly, with nothing but constant rule changes and crack downs from Umbridge on a daily basis. All of Daphne's classes had become the victim of the Ministries new regulations, which made going to class unbearable.  
"They must think we're children with this rubbish!" Blaise hissed across the aisle to Tracey and Daphne, who stared down at their Defence Against the Dark Arts textbooks like they were contaminated remains.

"I've been casting spells like this since I was 5!" Theodore grumbled, slamming the book closed and pushing it away from him. Umbridge didn't seem to notice their disgust and continued to teach. "I can't imagine any of us are going to be able to defend ourselves against a pixie if we follow this book!"

"Well, what would you suggest we do? I mean, sure we _have _to read the book, but we don't have to _follow_ it." Daphne whispered quietly, pretending to reach past Theodore and dip her quill in his inkwell.

"What do you have in mind, Daphne." Theodore smirked, turning his head a little so he could see her expression.

"Practise makes perfect, Theodore." She said lightly "We just need to find some people to practice on..."

So, for the next few weeks (until Umbridge gave Blaise and Theodore detentions for hexing a 6th year Hufflepuff), the Slytherin's would secretly cast various spells and jinx's on any student who was unfortunate enough to be walking by without a teacher in sight. When Umbridge questioned Theodore and Blaise about their reasoning, Blaise replied back 'If we had some challenging material in class, we wouldn't be so _bored_ outside of class!' This got him another week's worth of detention.  
"Well, you had a valid point." Daphne said as they all sat around in the common room that night. "Class is about 100 times _more_ boring now that we're learning first year stuff all over again."

"Yeah, but that hag is riding around on her high horse, with permission from the ministry to change and modify anything she chooses." Theodore slouched in his chair, ruffling his shaggy brown hair.

"Can't your father do anything, Draco?" Daphne asked, turning to Draco and Pansy, who were sharing a single chair.

"What? I wasn't listening." He said a few seconds later. He had been whispering something in Pansy's ear that made her blush and giggle ferverously. Daphne repeated her question and he sighed dramatically. "I wish! He says that having this woman is supposed to be an improvement over Dumbledore!"

"Well, she is in a way. But does she have to treat us all like we're _children_?" Blaise grumbled, loosening his neck tie thoughtlessly.

"Don't look at me! I'm not about to question the ministry like you did." He paused and looked at Pansy, who smiled lovingly at him "I like having a social life, thank you."

Daphne looked at Tracey who made a small face like she was ready to vomit.

"Well, at least we have Quidditch to look forward to." Blaise sighed, leaning his head back against the couch.

"Which reminds me!" Draco said, pulling a parchment from his pocket. "I have some new cheers for the Slytherin team." He said, tossing the paper onto the table and returning his attention to Pansy, still sitting in his lap. Theodore picked up the page, read it quickly, sniffed a quick laugh and handed it over to Blaise. He cocked his eyebrow curiously and looked up from reading.

"'Weasley is our King?'" Blaise chuckled lightly. "Well, at least the game will be entertaining..."

"You have to learn it before the game." Pansy said excitedly "And I'm going to make sure every Slytherin sings along." She said reassuringly, snuggling closer to Draco. Daphne felt her insides churn with nausea and jealous.

"I think I'm going to go do some homework." She announced lightly, and stood from the couches and walked up to her dorm, her fists balled so tight together that her nails dug into her palms. Trying to be civil around Pansy was getting more and more difficult, and yet Tracey insisted that they had to keep trying.  
_At this rate, with Draco and Pansy never leaving each other's sides, we're never going to be able to frame him._ She thought, dishearten from her efforts. Slamming the door behind her, she jumped onto her bed and pulled the pillow over her face, attempting to sleep away a few weeks of her life...

_**AN: NEXT CHAPTER!! Quidditch, Thestrals, and a Spa adventure (?? I know you're saying 'WTF' right now... and just you wait)**_

**I LOVE REVIEWS!! They're like my children, and I will always give you feed-back/thanks for a review... just in case you're lonely or feeling underappriciated**


	13. Year 5 Part 3

**_AN: For the record, I am SO excited that I've finally reached this point! I've been planning this entire half of the story since I started writing it, and THIS half was the whole reason why I started writing it!!_**

**_So yeah, I'm REALLY excited to write the next few chapters!!_**

The next 2 months flew by in a blur. The whole time, Daphne and Tracey spent every waking moment trying to frame Draco for something that would make Pansy break up with him, but it was practically impossible! When Draco was attacked by Potter and Weasley after Quidditch, Tracey suggested that she try and get him alone, and then Daphne bring Pansy, telling her something along the lines of 'Tracey seems to be paying a lot of attention to Draco lately', but she never left his side! Pansy was playing the role of diligent, devoted girlfriend like it was her only way to live! That plan was soon abandon.

A week or so later, Daphne missed the perfect chance when one of the Ravenclaw girls in their Care of Magical Creatures class was talking to Draco in a rather friendly matter. But she was too distracted by Theodore's confession that he could see the invisible 'horses' that Hagrid was trying to teach them about.  
"You can _see_ them?" Daphne whispered. Theodore nodded his head, pretending to pay attention. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I did." He said quietly; she stared at him, dumbfounded. "Remember the day we rode in the carriage? When you thought I smacked the thin air? _These _are the things that pull the carriages."

Daphne nodded her head slowly and looked straight ahead at the apparent nothing before the class. "So why can you see them and I can't." She asked quietly.

"Well Daphne, if you were listening to the lesson, you would know." He replied smartly, giving her a crooked smile. Daphne said nothing and stared at the front of the class again, but she had already missed the explanation, and the giant was already gabbing about something else. Theodore sighed and told her. "It's because I've seen someone die." He said shortly "My mother, remember?"

"How could I forget." She mumbled quietly. At that moment, Blaise said something about the Ravenclaw girl talking to Draco, and Daphne cursed herself under her breath. _Thanks to Theodore being abnormal, I missed the perfect chance! _She thought bitterly, pulling her jacket tighter around her. Winter was going to be here soon, and she had barely made any progress with her mission...

"This is ridiculous!" Tracey hissed at the Christmas Eve dinner "Have they left each other's side since Halloween?" Together, her and Daphne had been watching Draco and Pansy's sickening public display of affection, and quite frankly, they were about ready to tear their eyes out if it didn't end soon.

"You know as well as I do that the answer is _no_." Daphne sighed, playing with her food absently.

Tracey signed and rested her head on her arms. "I'm not even the one after him, and already I feel discouraged."

"Thanks Tracey." Daphne grumbled.

"There you two are!" called the woman of the hour.

"Speak of the devil..." Tracey mumbled as she lifted her head "Hey Pansy!" she said in an overly cheerful manner.

"I'm so happy you two didn't leave for holidays! I have a great plan for a girl's night out!" Pansy said, pushing herself between Tracey and the 4th year that was sitting beside her. "Meet me in the common room at midnight." She whispered.

Daphne and Tracey exchanged quizzical looks, but Tracey widened her eyes at Daphne, before turning back to Pansy "Ooo, what are we doing?" she said, her voice as fake as the Great Hall's night sky ceiling.

"Just you wait and see!"Pansy squealed with glee, and then dragged Millicent off with her towards Draco, who was eating his dinner a few seats down.

"What do you think she has in store for us?" Daphne smirked.

"Whatever it is, it's going to be torture if I have to spend time with _her_." Tracey made a face at her. "I hope you become the God-mother of my children after everything I've done for you!" she remarked, pouring herself another glass of eggnog.

"Only if you become mine." Daphne smirked. Tracey raised an eyebrow and looked down in the direction of the frivolous blonde that was giggling loudly at the other end of the table. "Astoria is not going to be, in any way, shape, or form, _ever_ going to have to take care of _my_ children... I wouldn't torture them like that."

"I'm not sure I'm a much of an alternative." Tracey smirked "I hate children."

That night, at exactly midnight, Tracey and Daphne walked into the common room together, only to find it apparently empty.  
"Maybe she's burning all our clothes, and had to lure us out of our rooms to do it." Tracey suggested, poking Daphne lightly in the side.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Daphne mumbled quietly. But before she could add her own interpretation of where Pansy was, she appeared from behind them.

"Glad you could make it!" she said cheerfully, Millicent filing in right behind her.

"Where did you come from?" Daphne asked.

"Oh, we were up talking with the boys."Pansy smiled "But, it's girls night now!" she said, clapping her hands together. "Follow me!" she said, skipping out of the common room. Tracey and Daphne looked at Millicent, who shrugged her shoulders.

"Trust me, if I knew half the things that went on in her head, the world would make a lot more sense to me." She said. Daphne and Tracey looked at each other in shock; Millicent hadn't spoken directly to anyone except Pansy in about two years.

"Are you coming or not! We have to hurry, or Filch will catch us!" Pansy hissed from the portrait hole. Daphne was the first to follow, with the others close behind her. Where ever Pansy was taking them, it was breaking the rules. This made it only that much more exciting...

Pansy led them up to the 5th floor, and stood before a dark doorway and whispered a password into it. The door swung opened, and she motioned for the other girls to follow. Daphne was almost floored when she saw what was inside the room.  
"What is this?!" she breathed, amazed by what she saw. Could that possibly be an indoor pool? What was this doing in Hogwarts.

"Technically, it's the prefects bathroom." Pansy smirked, starting to take off her clothes. Tracey and Daphne gave each other very confused glances. "But tonight, it's going to be our personal retreat."

"Why are you taking your clothes off?" Tracey asked, very wary at what was going on. Pansy pouted a little and pulled off her school shirt, now standing in her bra and her skirt.

"A bra and underwear are the same as a bathing suit. Unless you wanted to go completely naked." She said smartly, before she dropped her skirt onto the floor and scampered over to the taps at the other end. She turned on a bunch of them, which filled the huge bathtub in a matter of minutes.

Daphne gave Tracey a worried look, which Tracey returned by rolling her eyes. "Well, it's one way to get closer that we didn't expect, but it will do." She sighed, before she too began to remove her clothing. Daphne stood there awkwardly for a moment, and then she too sighed in defeat and took off her robes, sweater, shirt and skirt. Then, taking Tracey's hand, jumped into the now full bathtub.

The Slytherin girls swam around in the pool, talking about which boys they liked and who they hated more than anyone in the school. When it was Daphne's turn, she lied and said that she didn't like anyone right now, and that she hated Padma Patil more than anyone. Tracey gave her a quick nod, telling her that Pansy had obviously bought the lie.  
"Well I have to tell you girls that having someone like Draco is amazing!" she sighed, leaning against the wall of the tub. Daphne gritted her teeth, but smiled very supportingly.

"I can only imagine." She said sweetly. _That is I can only imagine until he's MINE! _She though viscously.

"Well, you dated Blaise. Wasn't he a good boyfriend?" Pansy asked, dipping her hair in the water.

"Oh, we weren't very serious. It wouldn't have amounted to anything." Daphne said absently "Besides, my parents didn't approve of him."

"Really? Because he told me he's dating your sister now."

Daphne felt her senses instantly flare up. "_What!?_" she demanded. Pansy looked a little shocked by her reaction, and looked over at Millicent for support.

"He told us when we were upstairs in their dorm. They just started going out 3 days ago." Pansy remarked slowly.  
_  
3 days._ Daphne raved many illogical things in her head; she was going to kill her sister, and then Blaise, and then shove it in her parent's faces! "How dare she." She said under her breath.

"What did you say?" Pansy called from the other side of the tub.

"I said," Daphne paused and looked away from Tracey, who was trying to catch her eye "That it won't last long. My parents don't approve of him, so they'll make her break up with him soon." She said, reassuring herself. _Yes, that's right... there's no way they would let her stay with someone like that! If he was so disagreeable for me, then he certainly won't be good enough for precious Astoria.  
_  
"I thought for sure that Blaise would have told you by now." Pansy said lightly, scrubbing her nails with something. "Then again, I guess telling your ex-girlfriend that you're dating her sister isn't always good for your health."

"Something like that..." Daphne growled to herself, swimming away from the others.

She swam underneath the taps of hot water, letting the pour onto her head until she could feel her skull throbbing. When she stepped out from the waterfall, she saw 5 black figures walking across the room towards the pool. The others hadn't noticed, and she let out a high scream to signal the strangers in their midst.

"Who the fu-" Millicent started, before she started to swim away from the edge of the pool. Daphne backed up against the wall and pulled down Tracey's wand, which had been sitting on the edge with her watch and necklace for safe keeping. She hid it under the water for a moment, waiting for the right moment to strike. The mysterious strangers didn't say anything; they just walked towards the edge of the pool very slowly. _Enough of this! _Daphne thought, and stood up, pointing the wand at the nearest black figure.

"Locomotor!" she shouted, hexing the figure by locking his legs together. As she expected, the figure lost their balance and fell into the pool of water. After the victim was under the water for a few moments, she cast the counter curse, and waited for them to resurface. They did a moment later, coughing and swearing.

"Christ Daphne, do you always do that to people!?" a familiar voice demanded. Daphne looked at the girls for a moment in disbelief.

"_Theodore_?" she breathed, dumbfounded. As soon as she said it, the other dark figured laughed and jumped into the tub with them, causing a lot of wake and splashing.

"Oh my God, what are you all _doing_ here?" Pansy asked, clearly not very surprised at all. When the others resurfaced, it was proven that in fact all the 5th year Slytherin boys had followed them here, no doubt a plan by Pansy.

"I can't imagine how they found out..." Tracey mumbled quietly, despite the glare from Pansy.

"We heard you were having a little get together, and couldn't resist tagging along." Draco smirked, swimming over to Pansy.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, we are wearing significantly less clothing that you!" Pansy stated with a voice sounded very far from offended. There was silence in the room and all the girls felt very awkward.

"Well if they didn't before, they do now..." Daphne sighed.

"Well, that only makes it more interesting." Draco smirked at her, watching her intently as he put his arms around Pansy. Daphne felt her cheeks go slightly pink, and turned her attention to Theodore to avoid a glare from Pansy.

"You alright?" she said quietly. The others had begun to splash and dunk each other in the water, leaving Theodore and Daphne relatively ignored.

"Aside from the cups of water in my lungs, yeah, I'm ok." He said sarcastically. Daphne frowned and swam past him to replace Tracey's wand on the ledge.

"Well, why were you all wearing your robes like that?" she quipped, making sure to duck her shoulders bellow the water. She didn't want her 'bludgers' as Tracey called them to float up, although the other girls had quickly caught up in the past year. Maybe _that _was why the guys had followed them here.

"Well, it's not easy to scare you when we're dressed in our pyjamas, is it?" he teased, shaking his shaggy hair, causing water to fly into her face. Daphne accepted the challenge and whipped her hair over her shoulder, sending a quick jet of water from her long hair.

The battle ensued for a long time, well past the early hours of the morning. By the time 3am rolled around, Pansy yawned, looking at Draco with dark, smouldering eyes and announced she was tired.  
"Are you girls going to head back now?" Draco asked, nodding at Blaise, who jumped out of the tub and ran over towards the edge of the pool. It only too Daphne a moment to realize what he was doing; he had picked up every scrap of their clothes and was holding them hostage behind him.

"Blaise, what are you doing! Give them back." Daphne said in a low, warning tone. Blaise only smiled devilishly, but said nothing.

"Blaise, if you want to live to see another day, you'll put the clothes down." Tracey warned, swimming over to the edge of the pool where Daphne had put her wand

"What are you going to do? Hex me?" Blaise laughed at Tracey. Then he held up the wand and waved it before them proudly. All the girls jaws dropped open as they realized the trap they were now in; the boys had all their clothes hostage, along with their only weapon of defence.

"Give them back Blaise or I'll tell my parents." Daphne growled in a low voice. Blaise looked at Draco for a moment and burst out laughing.

"You sound just like Draco!" he laughed. Daphne crossed her arms and put on a very angry sneer."What are you going to tell them? 'I snuck out last night and the boys followed us as stole our clothes'?"

"I'm referring to you dating my little harlot of my sister." Daphne snapped. Blaise stopped laughing and made a face of knowing.

"Don't tell me you're _jealous_ of your little sister, Daph."

"Call me that and I'll hex your head off!" Daphne warned "And no, I'm not jealous Blaise; may I remind you that you're old news to me."

"Old news that you barely read." Blaise sniffed a laugh "And I can tell you that your sister has read the news a lot."

The other girl's jaws dropped down into identical expressions of horror, but Daphne's glare was sharp and penetrating. "You're dead Blaise." She growled, so quietly that he could barely hear her.

"This problem can be easily solved!" he said, stepping between Daphne and Blaise's view of each other; Daphne instantly felt a wave of a different feeling wash over now that Blaise was out of sight, out of mind. "One of you just has to get out of there and come get them."

"Draco!" Pansy gasped. From what Daphne could gather, perhaps _this_ part of the evening was not planned.

"It's not that much to ask, ladies." Draco said, stepping back again. Daphne saw Blaise and felt her rage rise again. _God I want to strangle him! How dare he date my little whore of a sister after me! He's probably doing it just to make me jealous. Well, I'm not going to BE jealous... I have bigger and better things to go after...  
_  
"Surely one of you must be brave enough to skip out of there and grab your clothes." Draco chuckled a little. He nodded at Blaise, who dropped their uniforms on the floor as bait for the bargain. "We won't even be holding them."

Daphne looked at Tracey, who was ducked so far down in the water that her head was barely poking out. She remembered that Tracey had been wearing white, so there was no way she was going to get out. Millicent was far too reserved around her housemates to do such a thing. And Pansy-  
_  
Ah yes! She'll do it, but not if I do it first! _She thought, feeling her courage rise to unprecedented heights. Her body was alright, and she happened to be wearing black underwear today, which made her the perfect contender. Plus it would give her the perfect chance to show off to Blaise and Draco. Since Hogwarts had nothing that resembled water that could be swam in regularly (except this, but only select members of the school got to use this), boys never saw girls wearing this little of clothing. _One thing mother taught me was to use my appearance... even if it isn't the best model around; 'Always act like you're the prettiest girl in the room, and men will start to think that you are.' _She paused her thoughts for a moment _Ok, maybe my mother told _Astoria _that, but I still overheard, and I still took it to heart... starting now. _

Daphne sighed and looked at the other girls for last minute moment. "Fine, I guess I'll sacrifice myself for the greater good." She mumbled, looking at Tracey and giving her a quick wink. "You boys better back up from the clothes!" she called as she waded towards the edge of the pool. Pulling herself out of the pool and climbing to her feet, she felt all of their eyes on her (as expected and planned), but she told herself desperately to ignore it. Taking her time to wring her hair out of the water, she then walked over to the half circle of guys that surrounded the clothes. She was just about to bend down and get the clothes when a though caught her mind that she couldn't let go of. Daphne turned her eyes and looked directly at Blaise, who was smirking slightly, clearly entertained by her. "See Blaise? I have no reason to be jealous of someone who looks like a child." She remarked, smirking a little herself. The other boys stifled chuckles, while Blaise did a once over that would have made her blush under other circumstances, but she _meant_ for it to happen this time.

"So I see." He remarked, his eyes locked with hers for a moment. Then Daphne broke the contact and turned back to the clothes, scooped them up off the ground in one arm, and turned back to Blaise, holding her arm out for the wand. He gave her another look that she hadn't been expecting, and only turned a slightly shade of pink. He handed the wand over slowly, not saying anything.

Daphne stepped back, still holding the wand, the pile of clothes now covering the majority of her "Well!" she smiled wickedly "I fulfilled my part of the bargain. I believe it's time for you to leave so we can get back to our dorms." The boys all looked at Draco, who smiled at her statement, and nodded for them to get their robes.

"Not sure why you need your clothes to get back to our house." Draco chuckled "I can imagine that the teachers wouldn't know what to do with you if they caught you."

"Umbridge would probably expel us. Not following the Ministry's decree on proper dress code." Daphne smiled. Draco looked at her for a moment and then nodded her head slowly before he and the other guys snuck out of the prefects' bathroom with their hoods pulled over their heads again. Daphne stared at the empty doorway for a moment, then she dropped the clothes, turned back, and jumped into the pool of water again, laughing hysterically.

The girls were grateful for Daphne's 'sacrifice', but Pansy still had very unnerved feelings.  
"Why they would ask such a thing is just unbelievable, but the fact that you _let them win_ like that is ridiculous!" she raved once they were back in their dorms, changing into their pyjamas for the night.

"Well, I didn't see _you_ coming up with any bright idea, Pansy." Daphne pointed out lightly as she combed her wet hair. "And it's not like we were all naked!" she gave Tracey a knowing smirk that the others didn't see "What would have been _far_ worse."

"Still! Letting Blaise get to you like that!" Pansy retorted, climbing into bed.  
Daphne frowned a little when she said that. True, it wasn't the wisest thing to try and make Blaise jealous or whatever she had originally intended, but now she would have to stay up a little longer and write that damn letter to her parents!  
_  
Now we'll see who's the favoured one, my little Astoria,_ she smirked to herself as she pulled out a quill and parchment from her trunk.

Tracey watched her with her usual smirk on her face as Daphne penned a letter to her parents, making sure to leave no room for mercy.  
_  
Dearest Mother and Father,  
I thought it would interest you to know that Astoria is now dating Blaise Zabini. They started seeing each other earlier this week, and I suggest that you steer her away from that path very soon, seeing Blaise has already laid claim that he and Astoria are physically involved.  
I know that you would never want something as shameful as Blaise to disgrace our family, let alone Astoria, so I suggest you act quickly.  
Daphne._

She held the letter up closer to the light, and then, very pleased with herself, nodded her head as she folded it up into an envelope. She put it on top of her trunk, making sure that she would see it first thing tomorrow and send it off as soon as possible.

"Do you think they'll do anything?" Tracey whispered, climbing out of her bed and jumping onto Daphne's.

"Well, if he wasn't good enough for me, then he _certainly _isn't good enough for her!" Daphne whispered, pulling her covers over her cold legs. "So tell me Tracey, how was my little show received?" she smirked.

Tracey smiled like a cat, and glanced over to see if Pansy and Millicent were still awake; they were fast asleep, breathing rhythmically to themselves. "It was very well received!" she whispered, her eyes wide with excitement and opportunity "All of them were positively hypnotized by you!"

"Who would have thought that my figure would ever come in handy?" she giggled. "I saw that Blaise was pretty shocked by what I did."

"Oh, obviously! It was very smart of you though; to get back at Blaise, but at the same time show off for Draco! Clever girl!" Tracey praised, clapping her on the shoulder.

"What did Draco look like!? I didn't even see his expression!"

"Oh, he was interested alright!" Tracey breathed, looking over at Pansy, who was still sleeping. "He didn't even look back at Pansy when they left; he just told the guys to leave with him! Your plan was brilliant! I'll bet they're all dreaming of you tonight!"

"Oh, I hope not that way... and certainly not all of them... Just two of them." Daphne smiled contently and leaned back against her headboard.

"Two? Are we trying to make your sister jealous?"

"No! I just want him to know what he's missing, and that my harlot of a sister is nowhere near the girlfriend I was, even if she does give up the chance much sooner than I do."

"Do you really think they're that serious already? It's only been a few days!"

"I doubt if Astoria is. She may be harlot, but I doubt she would shell out all the goods in under a week. Even she understands that that will get her a good hit from my father." Daphne said, looking absently out the dark green windows that looked out into the lake. Slytherin had the pleasure of having their tower underwater, like a mermaid castle, with the glass windows looking out over the _actual_ mermaid castle down in the valley of the lake's floor. "But I wouldn't put it past Blaise. He was trying to convince me to go that route, but I refused. So he's probably trying to get some sort of childish revenge."

"Does he think that he can get back at you by ruining your sister?" Tracey laughed quietly.

"Well, he'll ruin my parents and our name, but everyone I care about will know that I have no association with her whatsoever. So it won't damage me too much..." Daphne said, turning back from staring out the black windows. "Well, it's Christmas morning! We should get some sleep so Father Christmas comes tonight."

"Yes, I expect to see Draco Malfoy all wrapped up in bows sitting on the end of your bed tomorrow morning." Tracey teased, tickling Daphne in the sides.

"It was on my list." Daphne beamed, and then ducked into her bed and blew out the candle.

Daphne sent the letter out the very next morning, even before she opened her presents. She received three small boxes; one with jewelled hairclip (emeralds of course) from her parents; one with a set of fur-lined gloves from Madeline and Marguerite; and the last box was from her estranged cousin Maverick. His father (her father's younger brother) had cut off all communication with the family when she was 10 years old after he discovered the business that Lennox was involved in. But Maverick, who was living in Australia with his parents, still kept in touch with Daphne once a year (on her birthday), and always told her that she was the only person in her whole family that he could tolerate.

_I can understand that. _She smiled to herself as she opened the small box to reveal a small heart necklace, engraved with vines and a rose in the centre. There was a note folded up inside, and Daphne opened it quickly.  
_  
Seasons Greetings Daphne!  
I found this the other day while looking through an old jewellery box. It's your Grandmother's Locket, and since I have no use for it (what can I say? Jewellery isn't really my style) I figured I would give it to you, the only Granddaughter that she would be proud of.  
Remember, if you ever come down to this end of the world, we would be happy to host you for as long as you like! You can meet Talia _(his wife) _and hopefully by then, I'll have a whole slew of second-cousins for you to play with!  
Take care Daphne!  
Love, Maverick_

"Who's that from?" Tracey asked, now hovering over her shoulder curiously.

"My cousin, Maverick. He lives in Australia."

"Weird! What's he doing down there?"

"Oh, his father was ashamed of what his big brother was doing with his life, and so he packed up and moved to Australia, where he wouldn't have to hear about it." Daphne sighed "Maverick and I were playmates at every family event. He's 23 now, I think... I'd love to go visit him someday, but my parents would kill me if they found out."

"That branch cut off forever?" Tracey mused, taking a seat on the edge of her bed. Daphne nodded. "Speaking of cutting family off, how long do you think it will be until your sister is screaming and crying in the common room again?" she smirked. Daphne frowned a little; her sister's new habit of crying in the common room, where she was sure to get ample attention, was getting rather old to her.

"I'm going to say... tomorrow." Daphne sighed, looking out the window into the dark green water that was very faintly lit up from the ice above. "I hope you're ready for quite a show."

But the show never came.

Much to Daphne's horror, her parents never sent any word to Astoria that she should break up with Blaise. In fact, they congratulated her on finally settling on such a good match. Daphne was furious for days, and refused to speak with her sister as long as he was dating Blaise, which she was sure would only be a week or two...

But by the time Easter rolled around, and they hadn't broken up, Daphne was ready to send a howler home to her parents; how could they show this much favouritism!? And so blatantly!  
"_Now_ do you see?" Daphne mumbled one day after Easter Break. Theodore looked up from what he had been copying off her and saw what she did; Blaise and Astoria cuddled up on a single chair, whispering and touching each other.

"See what? Aside from something that makes me want to vomit." He remarked coolly, returning to copying out her Charms notes.

"That my family hates me and _loves_ her?" Daphne grumbled, crossing her arms and slouching in her chair.

"I doubt that, Daphne." He chuckled a little, this time not even looking up.

"They do, Theodore." She said sternly "They deliberately shun me from the things that she gets! I did _nothing_ to them, yet they seem to think of me as some burden on them!"

"Keep your voice down or the whole school will know." He chastised her.

"Oh, I would tell the whole _world_ if I didn't think I wouldn't have a home because of it!" she sighed and glared in the direction of the happy couple.

"Two more years Daphne." Theodore reassure her, his eyebrows furrowing as he tried to read her writing.  
She sighed and leaned her head into her hands. _Two. More. Years. _She thought slowly. _I don't know how I'm even going to last two MONTHS!_

_"_Two more years until what?" Draco asked, suddenly appearing beside her. Daphne jolted at the shock and attempted to look like she hadn't been frightened. But Theodore chuckling to himself was a bit of a giveaway...

"Two years until I'm legal age! And I can live on my own... or with my husband." she said, surprised that she had even said that.

"Two years and we're out of Hogwarts and into the workforce... Guess I'd better find out what I want to do with my life." Draco said, sniffing a small laugh to himself. "And you'd better find that husband you want."

"I already have." she said quietly to herself. But it apparently wasn't quite enough...

"What did you say?" he asked. Daphne felt her cheeks go red and she instantly looked down at her work to hide it.

"I didn't say anything important." she said quietly, picking up her quill and writing something. He stood there for a moment, perhaps waiting for her to say something else. When she didn't, he changed the subject again.

"Nice locket." he said, picking up the necklace she was wearing and bringing it closer to his face. Daphne felt like she might surely faint when she felt his hands briefly touch her skin, she controlled herself by clenching her toes in her shoes. "Have you figured out how to open it?"

Daphne sighed, both out of sadness and swooning feelings "No, my cousin didn't send the instructions on how to open it." she looked down at the piece of jewellery that was resting in his hand.

"Try blowing on it." he suggested. Daphne looked from him to the locket that he still held his hand, and then after an awkward giggle, she breathed her hot breath over the cold metal. To her surprise, the hinges popped open.

"Oh my God! How did you know that!?" she breathed, leaning forward a little to examine her necklace's contents.

"My father has all sorts of jewellery from my grandparents. It's a pureblood thing to have it locked to anyone but a descendent of the family's breath." he said lightly. He still held the necklace as she craned her neck to look at the pictures inside. On the left was a picture of her Grandfather, Octavian Greengrass; on the right was her grandmother, Darlene Lennox (for whom her father was named after). They both waved at the pair of them, hovering over their discovery.

Daphne sighed and turned her head to thank Draco, only to suddenly lock eyes with him. They stared at each other for a few seconds, neither looking away. _Why is he staring at me? Oh God, I must be turning so red! _she thought feverously. Daphne was the first to blink and look down at the necklace he was still holding in his hand. "Thank you so much Draco." she said in a voice barely above a whisper. She looked back up at him, and he was still staring at her. She felt her heart racing, and felt and urge to move closer to his face.

"Draco! I finished writing out study notes for Potions!" Pansy called from the stairs. As Daphne expected, Draco instantly dropped the locket and moved back to a reasonable distance.

"Good. Let's go get a seat in the Library." he suggested, holding his arm out for her to grab. Daphne felt her happiness fade, and she was left staring down at her hands in her lap very awkwardly "See you later Daphne." Draco smiled before he led Pansy out of the common room.

Daphne's heart still raced. Had she imagined the entire thing? That look he gave her! It wasn't normal! It wasn't something friends give each other! She gripped the material of her skirt as she tried to steady her mind.  
"What does this word say?" Theodore asked, apparently oblivious to the entire thing. Daphne shook her head a little, and the suddenly felt sick.

"I-I don't know... I'll be right back!" she told him before she jumped up and ran to the bathroom. She needed to be alone for a few minutes to try and process everything that had just happened. Draco had just looked at her in a way that she had never seen before. And despite her inexperience with love and the opposite sex, that look wasn't something you give as a friendly gesture; it's was a signal.

**_AN: I'M SO EXCITED TO WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER!!_**

**_WHAT DID YOU THINK!? READ AND REVIEW MY LOVELIES!!11_**


	14. Year 5 Part 4

**_AN: Whoot! Another chapter down!! And before the holidays too (for those of you who don't know, Canadian Thanksgiving is this weekend!)  
This chapter was a lot of fun to write. Lots of dramatics! And I love drama :)_**

**_Still don't own Harry Potter. JKR still does. Curses._**

The 5th year examinations were brutal. They spent their last few weeks in school all huddled around tables, trying to learn everything that they didn't learn in class. What was worse is that this year, the O.W.L.s were a HUGE deal, and would decide their futures! This put an immense amount of pressure on people like Daphne and Tracey, who weren't know for being the most brilliant students, but instead hovered around average.  
"We're so dead." Tracey whispered encouragingly to Daphne as they walked to their charms exam. Daphne said nothing, and focused all her thoughts on trying to remember all her incantations and spells she was supposed to be able to perform.  
_  
Merlin, I am dead. _She thought solemnly. She sighed in defeat as she took her seat in the Great Hall, setting her head on the table as she waited to be called. If she failed this OWL, then she would certainly hear it from her parents. But charms always seemed like her best subject; that thought gave her a little confidence, but not much...

"...Greengrass..."

Daphne raised her head at her name; _Here goes nothing... _She thought, sighing a little as she stood, following the others to her practical exam.

Much to her surprise, she did very well. She was asked to perform a variety of charms, and she managed to do them all on the first try without a hitch!  
"So you killed that exam?" Tracey congratulated her later that night as they all sat around in the common room.

"Yeah, I knew I would do well on that one. It's History of Magic I'm worried about." Daphne sighed, leaning her head back on the couch. "I'm going to fail that class! Hands down, no competition! I may as well walk in and give Professor Binns the finger; it would have the same effect!"

"Yeah, well that's how I feel about potions! I could flash Snape and he would probably give me the same mark." Tracey laughed.

"Please don't even mention you flashing Professor Snape again..." Daphne said in a low voice, shuddering a little.

For the next week, that was the only thing that Daphne studied for. Every night, she was up until at least 1am, trying to cram all the useless facts about which witch survived the witch burnings, or why did the Goblins rebel in the 16th century? It was all useless to Daphne since she knew very well that she would NEVER pursue a career that had anything to do with Magical History. When she finally wrote the exam, she had never felt so depressed in her life. She knew a grand total of 10 out of the 100 questions that she had to answer, and the rest she just made up.  
_If I'm lucky, I'll get pity marks. _She thought, flopping down in defeat on the common room couch. _But I've never been lucky._

Several of her housemates came over and talked to her briefly about exams before they all disappeared into their dorms to start to pack. The school year was almost over, and the buzz in the air was summer plans. But Daphne didn't want to go home; home just meant dealing with her parents and her sister for 2 months straight! And the only thing she was sure to hear about was her sister, going on and on about how wonderful Blaise is.  
_I think I'd rather be eating by a pixie very slowly then listen to that! _She groaned, grabbing one of the throw pillows and covering her face with it.

What seemed like 20 minutes later, Daphne startled herself awake when she fell off the couch. She sat up suddenly, very confused as to what was going on. The common room was dark, and the fire had gone out long ago, and was now a pile of ash. Daphne looked at the clock above the mantle; 12:30am.  
_I slept that long?! _She thought it disbelief. Her stomach let out a loud, rebellious growl which told her that yes she had slept that long, and no she hadn't eaten in 12 hours. _Great. Now I have to sneak to the kitchens! _She sighed, pulling her robe tight around her and flipping her hood over her hair, attempting to disguise herself as she slipped out the portrait.

Scampering down the dark, damp hallways of Hogwarts at this time of night always terrified her. She kept one hand sliding along the moist walls, and the other in her pocket, her wand in a tight grip, just in case. She was about halfway to the kitchens when she heard a muffled voice ahead. She froze for a moment, listening to see who it was; it wasn't a teacher. She sighed a small sigh of relief and stepped forward a little more. Then, to her surprise, a bright light blinded her temporarily from the direction of the voice.  
"Oh, it's you." The voice said, almost relieved.

"Blaise, turn that thing off!" Daphne hissed, shielding her eyes from the bright light at the end of his wand.

"Sorry Daph!" he chuckled, lowering the light away from their faces.

"Call me that again, and so help me-"

"Kill me? Hex my head off?" Blaise teased "Your threats are useless unless you act on them."

"Keep that smart tone and I may do just that." Daphne growled. She hadn't had a descent, civil conversation with him since Christmas Eve, and it was beginning to get old to Blaise.

"Still bitter about me dating your sister, are you?" he smirked, his dark eyes laughing at her.

"I don't care who she dates! It's the fact that-" She stopped herself from telling him about her parents and their disapproval of him, since it apparently only applied to her, which was embarrassing enough.

"The fact that what, Daphne?" he asked, chuckling quietly to himself. "Listen Daph, I know you seem to hate the fact that I'm with your sister, but I think it's wonderful!" he paused, watching the horrified expression on her face "The thought of you as my sister-in-law is quite comforting, actually. I'll have someone to entrust my children with!"

Daphne glared at him and gave him a quick shove away from her. He was laughing hysterically, which only made her fume more. "The day that YOU become my brother-in-law is the day I disown myself from my family!" she hissed before she stormed off in the direction of the kitchens again.

"I love you too, Auntie Daphy!" he called to her as she retreated into the darkness of the empty hallways.

Now Daphne was just outside the kitchen doors. She knew that up ahead would be the portrait of a bowl of fruit, and then she was going to someone try and convince the house elves to give her food at this time of night. She reached out to touch the portrait when a hand wrapped around her wrist like lightning in the dark. She couldn't help it; she screamed out of fright.  
"What are you doing out here?" the familiar voice asked. Daphne felt her heart race, but not out fear...

"Draco! It's me" she breathed "Daphne."

"Oh!" he said, letting go of her arm "That still doesn't really answer my question." He said, turning on a light at the end of his wand. Daphne winced her eyes at the light for a moment before she was able to adjust her vision.

"I slept through dinner, and I'm rather hungry." Daphne explained quietly, careful not to let her voice echo through the empty stone hallways.

"So you didn't hear about what we did?!" he asked, a very proud grin on his face "We captured Potter and all his stupid little friends, and Umbridge is about to torture them into giving information! We had to leave, unfortunately, because Granger was going to take them to some weapon, but still!" he paused, smiling contently to himself "They're_ sure_ to be expelled now."

"That's amazing!" Daphne smiled "A school that's free of Potter. It's a dream we've all had for so long." She chuckled.

"Yes, well, I have to say being both a prefect and a member of the inquisitor's squad, I have a fair amount of power." He paused, looking at her for a second, and then smirked deviously. "Which of course means I have some responsibility; it means I have to take some points from you or give you a detention."

"WHAT!" Daphne said loudly, covering her mouth a second later, her eyes still wide with confusion "Oh, come_ on_ Draco! Just pretend that you never saw me!"she pleaded in a hasty whisper. He couldn't do that to someone in his own house! He was hurting Slytherin's chances at the House Cup, and that was the ultimate goal of the year!

"Well, I did see you, Daphne." He said in a flat tone.

"It's not like they're going to read your mind!" she hissed. She paused for a moment, properly taking in what she had just said "Ok, maybe Umbridge will, but still! What difference does one student make? It's not like I'm Potter or something!"

Draco sighed and looked at the floor for a moment, weighing his options in his head. Then he looked up with a crooked smile, and Daphne thought that perhaps she might faint. "Alright, I won't tell anyone under one condition." He said slowly.

"Anything! What is it?" she breathed.

"Don't tell Pansy." He said in a low voice. Daphne opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but then Draco put out the light.  
_  
What the hell? What does she have to do with-  
_Her own thoughts were cut off by her body being pressed up against the wall. And a moment later, she felt Draco's lips pressed against hers.

For a moment, Daphne thought that she was dreaming, or that he had fallen on her accidently. Then she thought that her heart had stopped, or that she was going to pass out with shock; he was kissing her! Draco Malfoy was kissing _her_, Daphne Greengrass! The whole world seemed to disappear around her, and Daphne felt like she was living in a cloud of euphoria. After the first two seconds of awkwardness, Daphne's mind switched over from shock to want. She kissed him back with a secret, hidden ferocity that she had been waiting for years to release. With his body pressed right against her, pinning her to the cold stone wall, the only thing she could do was put her arms up around his neck to bring him even closer. Draco obviously felt the same vibe that she did and started to kiss her harder, which of course made Daphne want it even more.

The kiss got more and more intense as it went on. There was something so desperate, and at the same time hot, about making out in a dark hallway in the middle of the night that drove Daphne's mind wild. The thrill that they could be caught made her heart race faster; that someone could see them and tell Pansy stuck a momentary fear into her heart, but she pushed it aside. She drew him closer again for a moment, at to her surprise, she felt a cold hand on the back of her thigh. The surprise made her grip his neck a little tighter; Draco hissed and pulled away.

"Ow! Your nails are sharp!" he breathed, shaking his head out of her embrace. Daphne let her arms fall limp beside her as she stared into the darkness, the silhouette of Draco barely visible. They both stood there in silence, their breathing amplified by the echoing walls. Daphne felt that now she might faint, but she dug her 'sharp' nails into the stone wall to try and hold herself up. "I should get back to rounds." Draco said quietly. Daphne wanted to say something, but found that her brain was fried, and all she could think about was the kiss they just shared. "Remember," he said, leaning in again for what Daphne thought was another kiss, but instead he put his mouth right beside her ear, "Don't tell Pansy." And then Daphne heard his footsteps walking down the dark hallway, echoing on the old walls.

She stood there frozen for a minute, unable to move, unable to breath, and unable to think. Then when she could no longer hear his footsteps, she let out a sharp sigh, and felt her legs give way, sliding her back down along the wall until she was sitting on the floor. Her head was spinning; her mind couldn't process everything that had just happened. Part of her was convinced that it was a dream, but the other half said that no, it wasn't a dream, and that she had indeed just made out with Draco. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply as she tried to slow her heart rate, and replayed the entire thing in her head. It had the same effect the second time as it did.

Then something he said struck her like a curse. In fact, it was pretty much the only thing that he said. 'Don't tell Pansy.' Daphne's haze of euphoria vanished, and she felt a very different emotion now. _Oh no! If he said that, then that means he doesn't want to break up with her! Which means-  
_  
"Shit." She breathed aloud at her realization. She had just accidently made herself the other woman, something she never wanted to be! But now that he had just kissed her, she would be even more in his power; all he would have to do is look at her the right way, and she would melt.

Daphne's head was spinning again, but for different reasons. Her stomach had just tied itself in a knot that only a sailor could make, and she thought that she might be sick. The thought of food now revolted her, and all she wanted to do was get back to her bed and sleep. She pulled herself back off the floor and ran down the hallways of Hogwarts, cursing her own stupidity. She had now drawn a huge target on her back, for if Pansy ever did find out, she would surely be ostracised or cursed without a second thought. Surely she would never been safe in these walls again...

She was going to tell Tracey the first chance she got, which would be after breakfast. She sat at the table in awkward silence, avoiding Draco's eyes whenever they turned in her direction. An owl dropped the Daily Prophet, which advertised some big event at the Ministry the night before. Daphne read the first few lines of the article, and then dropped the fork she was eating with, making a loud clattering noise that everyone around her was startled by.  
"Oh my God." She breathed, her eyes wide with shock.

"What is it?" Theodore asked, craning his neck to see what she was reading.

"'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Returns! Last night-'" she cut herself off, unwilling to read the rest. Tracey picked up her copy and also gasped after she apparently read the same problem with the report.

"'Several of You-know-who's followers were arrested last night'" she started, looking up with wide eyes at the others, who had all frozen with anticipation "'Among them are Lucius Malfoy, who was their leader that night, Vincent Crabbe Senior, Tobias Nott,'" Tracey cleared her throat and looked more and more upset as she read off the remaining Death Eaters that were arrested, none of whom were of any relation to them. Daphne let out a very small sigh when she didn't hear her father's name mentioned, but she lifted her head a little to see Theodore beside her, who was frozen stiff, his hands balled in such tight fists that his knuckles were almost transparent. Draco looked extremely upset, like he had just been stabbed in the stomach with a knife. He had heard his aunt mentioned, but she apparently got away from the battle unscathed. Crabbe looked a little shaken, but his expression looked no different from any other time.

"Daphne!" a shrill voice called behind her, making her jump a little. She looked over her shoulder hastily to see Astoria, holding the same edition of the newspaper. Daphne stared at her sister for a moment, her eyes still wide with shock "Is this true? About father?" she breathed, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Father! What about father?!" she breathed frantically, ripping the paper out of her sisters hands and continuing to read. She found in about halfway through the article; 'Long-time employee of Lucius Malfoy, Lennox Greengrass, has been taken in for questioning as to his employers motives for being at the ministry that night.' Daphne felt the food she just ate almost come back again. She looked up at her sister, dumbfounded by this. "They can't do anything, can they? They can't arrest him!" she whispered frantically.

"Theodore!" Tracey called suddenly. Daphne turned and saw that Theodore had indeed gotten up from the table and was running from the Great Hall. Draco looked like he was about to do the same, but Pansy was right beside him, holding his arm tightly. A very brief flash of jealousy shot through Daphne again, but the worry and fear of her family's reputation rang loud in her head.

"Come here." Daphne said, climbing over the bench and grabbing her sister's robe, leading her out of the Great Hall. The looks they received from the students were shattering; glares of anger and shock stabbed through them like they were made of paper. Her sister may have been used to looks of that sort from complete strangers, but Daphne was not, and she almost lost her breakfast again.

She stopped when they were outside in the court yard, which was thankfully empty. She sat her sister down on one of the stone benches and shoved the paper back into her hands. "Astoria, you mustn't say _anything_ about this!" she said in a low, serious tone.

"But he hasn't done anything wrong! Daddy would never-"

"Astoria, _are you blind_!?" Daphne hissed, opening the paper to the page again and holding it in front of her sister's face. "Father has been working for him since before we were born! He managed to escape questioning last time, but this time he won't be so lucky! Whatever happens to Lucius Malfoy will happen to us too! The fact that his name is in the paper may have ruined us as it is!"

"_Ruined_ us! But we've done nothing wrong!" Astoria whined.

"Guilty by association, Astoria; that's how the ministry runs." Daphne said, shaking her head slowly before she crumpled the paper and rammed it in one of the bushes behind her sister. "Now listen to me Astoria; there are only two options that are going to come out of this." She said, kneeling so she was at eyelevel with her little sister, who was apparently too sheltered to understand how the world worked. "One is that they let father go because he won't tell them anything, which we can only pray for. Our family will still be marked like lepers, but at least he won't go to prison." Astoria took in a sharp breath at the thought of her father going to prison "Or two, he talks, and he is sent to prison, which although horrible, will be safer for us."

"_Safe!?_ He'll be in Azkaban!" Astoria gasped.

"If he talks and is released, than the Dark Lord will come for _us_!" Daphne hissed. Her sister froze and looked at her with empty eyes, reflecting her fear "That's what he does to people who betray him! He'll come for all of us; mother, father, you and me." She said, the meaning of her own words starting to set in. She felt her head feeling lighter, and she thought that perhaps she might be sick.

"What do we do?" Astoria whispered faintly, the tears in her eyes now flowing freely. Daphne shook her head slowly, not able to answer her.

"All we can do is hope that he doesn't say anything, and is released. Until then, we just have to get home without any incident." She said, the words meaning nothing to her, despite how convincing it sounded to her sister. Daphne knew that no matter what happened, her family would never be looked at in the same way; they would lose friends, they would be watched everywhere they went both by the ministry and the Dark Lord. Astoria may have been too young to realize it, but Daphne knew what happened to families that were caught straying off the fine line they would now have to walk. The thought of the punishment they would endure sent shivers all over her body.

All the Slytherin's spent the rest of their day in silence; no one dared speak about anything, especially the events reported in the Daily Prophet. A few hours later, Draco received a letter from his mother, telling him that he had to be extra careful on the train, and that she would pick him up at the train station. Draco, who was furious when he found out that it was Potter and his little friends that had caused all their parents to get into this mess, went off on a hunt with Crabbe and Goyle, leaving only Blaise, Pansy, Millicent, Tracey, and Daphne sitting around the fire. Theodore sat in the far corner, staring at the desk he sat at, not moving for hours on end.  
"What a mess this is." Blaise sighed quietly, staring into the fire. "How are half of us going to get home tomorrow without everyone spitting on us or something."

"Why are you complaining Blaise?" Tracey pointed out "Your mother wasn't listed in the report."

"Yes, but my mother is _engaged_ to one of them. Or was, rather; I doubt she'll admit to it now." He remarked solemnly.

"Oh." Tracey remarked quietly. There was silence between them all yet again, which lasted for about half an hour. They all sat about the common room, thinking about what their lives would look like as of tomorrow, when they left Hogwarts and returned home. Crabbe was going to have to live with his aunt and uncle while his mother relocated them to another part of the country, trying to avoid all the gossip and slander being thrown at their family. The girls that were unaffected by the article would have to be careful with whom they associated themselves with this summer, for being friends with a child of a Death Eater didn't always look good.  
_  
Neither does dating one. _Daphne thought, looking up at Pansy, who was picking at her nails, her face reflecting the conflict she had in her head right now. No doubt the Parkinson's wouldn't want to be associated with such a scandal if they didn't have to, and could very well tell her to break it off with Draco. A brief spark of hope flickered in Daphne's heart, but the possibility that her family was in very real danger now weighed heavy on the same organ. Despite her wishes to be disassociated with her family, whom she sometimes believed were not her relatives and that she was switched at birth, she could not change it now. Anything that happened to them, even if she hated them all, would still leave a mark on her. _On the bright side, Draco and I can be outcasts together. _She remarked in her head, making her sniff a small laugh aloud. Tracey looked at her briefly, and then turned her attention back to the fire.

After another hour or so of sitting, Draco returned to the common room, looking angrier than ever. Blaise and Pansy instantly flew to his aide, trying to get what happened out of him. Millicent went with Tracey to go upstairs and finish packing, leaving Daphne alone in the common room. Almost.

Theodore had yet to move out of the corner since she got there. Daphne was getting worried about him, and gathered up the courage to go over and talk to him. She walked over slowly, making sure to make plenty of noise before she got there. She saw his head turn slightly to see who it was, and then he turned back to staring at the table top.  
"Hey Theodore." She said quietly, standing right beside him. He said nothing, like he didn't even hear her. She paused for a minute, trying to think of what she could say to him; nothing would sound sincere or true. "I would love to say I know what you're going through, or I understand what you're going through, but I don't." She said quietly, putting her hand lightly on his shoulder. He barely responded to her touch. "But I think we all need each other to get through this." She added, barely audibly. She tightened her grip ever so slightly on his shoulder to remind him that she was still here. "Theodore, you can't go through this alone." She said quietly, trying to think of what to say next, but she was cut off by a very uneven sigh.

"I tried so hard to fix it." He said quietly.

"What?" Daphne breathed, grabbing the chair behind her and pulling it up beside him so she could sit at eyelevel.

"I tried to fix his reputation. I was never _proud_ of my father's lifestyle like Draco was, and I tried to change everyone's opinions of him." He said, his voice so low and hollow that Daphne could barely hear him. "And I almost had it! No one mentioned my father killing my mother, or anyone else for that matter, for almost 2 years!" he broke off sharply and took in a deep breath "And then he went and did _this_!"

"Theodore, you can't think it was your responsibility to change him." Daphne said quietly, her eyes getting watery at her friends condition. She had never heard Theodore, or any guy for that matter, sound so upset.

"But I have to live with his reputation!" he replied hoarsely. Daphne was frozen at the sound of his voice, and she waited with baited breath for him to say something else. "No matter where I go, who I speak to, or what I make of myself, my father's murderous shadow is always going to be looming right behind me."

"I understand how you feel," Daphne said softly "I feel that way about my sister; no matter what kind of person I am, my sister's name will always be tied with mine."

"Yes, but you aren't expected to continue the Greengrass Legacy, are you?" Theodore said sharply. "I'm supposed to become him! Take his title, take his job, and take his money!" he paused for a moment "All of that comes _with_ his reputation. And I don't want to be judged just because of my father's mistakes."

"Whoever judges you based on your father isn't worth your time." Daphne comforted, putting her hand on his arm this time. To her surprise, Theodore turned his head to face her, his eyes filled with emotion and tears that broke Daphne's heart. He looked into her eyes, and it made her eyes well up even more; she had never seen someone's face filled with such pain and sorrow.

"Everyone I know judges me because of my father." He said, his voice cracking a little. Daphne bit her lip and tried not to cry, but it was hard when she watched one of her dearest friends going through such pain.

"I never have. I never will." She whispered, placing her other hand on his arm. He looked at her hands, and then at her face. Then, in a move that was so fast she almost didn't see it coming, Theodore threw his arms around her, pulling her into one of the closest hugs she'd ever received. She could feel Theodore sobbing silently against her, and she felt her own tears finally let loose. Not just for Theodore, but for her own situation. None of the Slytherin's lives would ever be the same, and they all knew it. It was only a matter of time before they would all understand how different their lives would be...

**_AN: I like to think that Slytherin's have hearts and souls too, since they are indeed human beings (I hope). So I liked writing their point of view when they found out about their parents._**

REVIEW PLEASE!! This chapter had a lot of original plot stuff in it, and I would love to know what you think!!

Next chapter up after the holidays/midterms. So a week/week and a half I would think.


	15. Year 6 Part 1

**_AN: Why study for exams when I can write, right? Hahaha. It figures; I always get inspired to write on the worst days possible._**

Anyways, OMG IT'S LIKE OVER HALFWAY DONE! AHHHH!!  
I'm going to meet my deadline! Score!!  
Moving right along!

(Year 6)

"DAPHNE!" someone shrieked. Daphne had been dreaming, but the sharp screech (no doubt from her mother) startled her awake, and after getting tangled in her sheets, falling out of her bed onto the hardwood floor.

"What the hell..." she groaned in pain as she rubbed her elbow "WHAT!" she replied at the same level as her rude wake-up call.

"Bring down the jar from the cabinet upstairs!" her mother shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

Daphne groaned and covered her eyes, shielding them from the bright morning sun. Why her mother couldn't walk up the 25 steps to get it herself was beyond her, but Daphne sleepily untangled herself from her sheets and rubbed her eyes as she slumped towards the china cabinet at the top of the staircase. Inside the glass-doored, wooden cabinet were a series of smaller wooden boxes, all with locks on them, and in the centre of the bottom shelf was a single grey jar. Daphne opened the one door and pulled out the relic, carrying it in one hand as she trudged down the stairs, yawning all the way.

This wasn't the strangest request from her parents this summer. So far, they had asked her to help her father dig a hole in the backyard to burry a bunch of items that he was afraid the Ministry would find in a raid. Then he told her to help him build a stone patio overtop of the freshly-dug lawn. And, of course, despite the labour that Daphne was expected to help with, Astoria was _never_ asked to assist her. Bringing a jar down to her mother was the least strenuous task so far.  
"Mother." She said in a monotone voice as she got within a few steps of the bottom of the staircase, her half-open eyes clearly advertising that she been disturbed from her slumber.

"Morning Daphne." Said a voice beside her that almost made her drop the cold jar. Her eyes flew open and she tried not to fall down the last few steps.

"What are you doing here!?" she breathed, suddenly turning very red when she realized that she was in her pyjamas, which consisted of a pair of short-shorts and an old tank top. Her hair was a rats nest, and her face no doubt looked like that of an old woman with no make-up on.

"Draco and I are visiting your father." Said Narcissa, standing behind a smirking Draco. Although his mother sounded evidently worried or in a hurry, he locked his eyes with her, and Daphne felt she had to look away or she might faint.

"Oh, well, uh, it's good to see you?" she said very awkwardly, finally relieved to have her feet on the cold, marble floors at the bottom of the grand staircase. Draco chuckled a little as he watched her react to his expression, which made her almost drop the jar again.

"Daphne, be _careful_!" Medea said, swooping in from out of nowhere and swiping the jar out of her daughters hands. "I wish you would be more careful with things as precious as this."

"It's a grey jar. What's so special about it?" Daphne asked, rubbing her one eye with the palm of her hand, now pretending that Draco wasn't here. The last thing she wanted was her mother to suspect her crush for their beneficiary's son... former beneficiary.

"First of all, you foolish thing, it's glass." Medea said patronizingly, tapping the container with her long nails "And second of all, it's your grandfathers ashes."

"Ew! We have that in our house!?" Daphne cringed at the thought of her grandfather's ashes sitting right outside her bedroom door.

"What do you think is in that cabinet? Those are boxes filled with the ashes of your father's family." Medea said in a blunt tone. Daphne's eyes went wide; so they had a make-shift graveyard in a cabinet at the top of the stairs?! Outside her bedroom door!? "Now, will you please go get dressed? I don't think our guests want to see you parading about in _that_."

"Had I known we _had_ company, I _would_ have changed first." Daphne mumbled, starting towards the stairs. She paused about halfway up and turned, not surprised to see Draco watching her intently as their mother's chatted about some form of gossip. She smiled in a very polite manner, very aware that they were both thinking the same thing; remembering the kiss they shared only 2 months prior. But since then, Daphne had had a change of heart.

She had talked to Tracey about it, who of course was more ecstatic than Daphne was, but they came to a conclusion together; Draco could not use her. Daphne was going to have to flat out refuse to be involved in such a way with him so long as he was dating Pansy. For if she was caught, or if Pansy ever found out, not only would Daphne be shamed and marked for the remainder of her Hogwarts years, but the wrath of Pansy was not something she ever wanted to experience. The girl had been known to pull out the hair of girls that she fought over the summer, and not to mention she wouldn't think twice about cursing Daphne for it. So, until Draco was single again, Daphne decided that there would be no such involvement between them...

She was a little concerned how long this would last. She didn't tell Tracey this, but she knew that if Draco asked her, trying to persuade her choice, she would be at a loss, and no doubt give in.

There was a quick knock at the door while Daphne was pulling her shirt over her head. She froze in place and felt her heart skip a beat as she waited for the caller to introduce themselves.  
"Descent yet?" Draco chuckled from the other side of the door. Daphne's eyes went wide as she ran across the room and threw various articles of clothing (mostly underwear and dirty shirts) into her closet.

"Uhh, no! Hold on!" she called nervously as she attempted to kick something under her bed. She caught sight of herself in the mirror as she ran by it and swore out loud; she still looked like hell! She ran over to her dresser, tripping on a pair of shoes on the way, pulling herself up to wash her face in the basin. The water contained some magical formula that her mother brought back from France that would automatically give her that 'fresh, rejuvenated look', which is exactly what she needed right now! She lifted her head from the basin, looking much better now (but wet), and caught a pair of grey eyes.

"You look descent." He smirked to her in the mirror.

"I said I wasn't ready!" she breathed, taking a facecloth and wiping off the remaining water on her face. Thankful that she pulled on clothing first, rather than fixing her face and hair (which she hadn't done yet), she sighed and picked up a brush, taking a seat at her desk. "Why are you here?"

"You already know; my mother has come to see your father." He said absently, leaning on the corner of her four-post bed.

"I knew that, but why are _you_ here... in this room?" Daphne added, turning away after she added the last part, pretending to be fiddling with her hair brush.

"You think I want to sit through my mother trying to talk business with someone for the 18th time this week?" he grumbled, looking around the room casually. Daphne prayed that she had hidden all her laundry, along with anything else that might give her away... like the letters to Tracey that were sitting on her night table. Daphne's eyes went wide, and she flustered in her mind to try and think of a way to get over there and hide them.

"W-why is your mother doing business?" she asked lightly, standing very slowly, as if not to draw attention to herself.

"I haven't a clue why, but she's trying to regain some sort of honour for our family. She's settling debts and amending feuds, all in an attempt to get some allies." He said in a low voice, like he was almost offended by it.

"Why would she need allies?" Daphne asked in the same light, airy tone as she walked very slowly towards her night stand.

"If I knew that, then perhaps I could help her. But she won't tell me anything." He grumbled, standing up and walking over to her bookshelf, looking at the titles. Daphne took the opportune moment to jump the last few steps and grab the papers. But before she could stash them somewhere, he had turned around again. "I've been busy enough this summer with my own affairs."

"Oh?" she said in a forced tone, trying to appear as casual and normal as possible; she was failing miserably, and she knew it.

"I've got a couple tasks that I've been asked to complete." He said lightly, looking around her room a little again before his eyes fell on her again. "What's on the paper?"  
_  
Shit._ Daphne thought in defeat. She smiled heartily, trying to appear natural "What, this? Oh, it's nothing special."

"Then why are you trying to hide it from me?" he asked, crossing her room slowly towards her.

"I-I'm not! It's just-" he was now standing on mere feet away from her. Out of desperation, Daphne took the paper and rammed it down into her shirt. _That will stall him!  
_  
Draco laughed and looked at her, his smirk making her lose hope of getting out of this interrogation easily. "Do you really think I won't go there to get it?" he chuckled. Daphne felt her face go red, and there was no way of hiding it. She didn't dare move, and she just stood there wide-eyed while her brain tried desperately to think of some sort of comeback.

"Not with our parent's downstairs!" she blurted out suddenly. Draco laughed again, clearly amused by her reaction. _Please drop it! Just forget it! Move on! _She prayed silently, her eyes staring back into his as she waited for him to do something. The last thing she wanted him to do, however, was reach in her shirt and pull out a letter that not only had Tracey's vivid reaction to Daphne and Draco's little tryst, but also plans to bring down Pansy.

"What could be written there that is so bad that you don't want me to see it?" he asked, taking another step closer. He was easily close enough to get the letter if he wanted. He could also kiss her again if he wanted; that thought made Daphne's heart flutter a little with anticipation.

"My OWLs!" she said quickly, at last thinking of an excuse. Draco looked at her oddly for a moment, then cracked a small smile.

"Are they really _that_ bad?" he chuckled.

"Yes! And my parents haven't seen them! I meant to hide them this morning." She said in a much calmer tone; _who would have thought that lying under pressure could work so well!_ She thought merrily.

"And you think I care about your grades?" he smirked a little. "I was just looking for an excuse to get closer to you again." He said, taking another step closer. He was now meer inches away; her heart was racing and her breathing was shallow. She waited with baited breath for him to make whatever move he was planning, praying that she didn't get wound up in it again. But she knew that he had a pull on her like she was tied to him; if he moved closer, _she_ would move closer. Despite everything she swore to do to Tracey, stating that she could fight and win against the temptation, she was losing right now.

"Draco! We're leaving now!" Narcissa Malfoy called from downstairs.

Daphne let out a louder-than-anticipated sigh of relief, looking away from his cold grey eyes and at the floor. Draco took that reaction very harshly, and now looked at her with a face that he normally reserved for Granger.

"And what does _that_ mean?" he hissed. Daphne opened her mouth and looked up quickly realizing what she had just done.

"I-I didn't mean it like that-" she breathed.

"Really?" he asked, clearly not convinced. Daphne was briefly reminded of the last time she wounded Draco's pride when they were 11.

"I told you it wasn't a good idea with our parents downstairs." She managed, continuing with her lie.

"Because I'm sure _they're_ the reason." He said before he stepped away from her and stormed out of her room.

Daphne stood there for a moment, completely dumbfounded by what had just happened. Then she ran to catch up to Draco, who ignored her the whole way down the stairs. When they got to the door, Daphne said good-bye to Draco, and he merely gave her a quick sneer before he left her house, leaving a very confused Daphne staring at him as he walked away.

"What did you do to Draco?" her mother asked, looking at her oldest daughter with one eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"I have no idea." She lied. She knew _what_ she had done; she just didn't know _why_ he reacted so fiercely.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyways." Medea said lightly, before lowering her tone into a much darker tone of anger "Imagine them asking for our help! Not bloody likely, I told them."

"What!? They asked us for help?" Daphne asked, turning away from watching the remaining free Malfoy's walk away, and looking at her mother.

"Oh yes! I expected this day to come, and luckily I was there when she asked your father." She looked in the direction that they walked away and crinkled her nose a little.

"But mother, _they're_ the reason we are able to help them!" Daphne pointed out, more or less pleading. If Narcissa Malfoy was going around to everyone she knew, asking for money, then there must be something seriously wrong.

"No, _Lucius_ Malfoy is the reason. And he was the reason your father almost got arrested!" she pointed out harshly. Daphne looked down at that threat; it was used against her a lot lately, every time she suggested doing something or going somewhere. It was always brought up about their family waking on thin ice when it came to the Ministry, and had to stay very 'out-of-sight-out-of-mind' for a while. "We can't afford being associated with them again, or at least until this whole drama fixes itself." She added before she turned sharply on her heel and returned inside. Daphne stood on the porch a moment longer, then decided that she had other things to worry about, such as packing her trunk. She had only a few days to have all her belongings ready to go before she could retreat from her changed, but still very hostile family.

Her parents weren't as violent or angry as they had been this time last year. That was because they had other worries; being sent to prison, having their house searched, losing status in society. The last thing they were concerned about was their daughter, who had done nothing but walk about the town and read all summer. Daphne had indeed retreated into a much simpler way-of-life this past summer, with the hopes that the rest of her family would simply ignore her.

Astoria, on the other hand, continued to live her dream life, taking no notice at the families depleting income. Her main priority for most of the summer was to make sure that everyone knew about how she and Blaise had a rather dramatic break-up right after school ended. As if Daphne wasn't annoyed enough already, she found it even more annoying to hear Blaise referred to as 'Used Goods' because Daphne had dated him first. But after she was over that, Astoria continued to demand new clothes, books, jewellery, and trips to visit her friends. And because she had her parents wrapped around her finger, she always got what she wanted, despite the sacrifice of food or school books it might mean later on. Astoria never thought of the future; she lived in the present, where she was the center of the universe.  
Daphne was reasonable, and thought of her future a lot lately. How could she marry Draco if his family was ruined? She told herself she didn't care, but she knew it would make a difference. But most of all, when she thought about the future, she thought about living in a house of her own, raising her children, and never having to hear Astoria's constant pining for attention.

When September 1st finally did arrive, Daphne could not have been more thrilled. In the last week, her sister had made more outrageous requests (all-new robes for school plus a new cauldron) that were gently turned down by their parents. But despite how gentle it was, Astoria flew into a fit of rage, smashing several plates in the kitchen before she went up to her room and proceeded to trash her entire room. Daphne only rolled her eyes and went up to her own room, casting a muffliato on her room, thus shielding her from the rampage next-door.  
Daphne had already escaped her parents and her still-sulking sister, and was now standing in line to board the train. A large group of very slow moving first years was holding up the line, causing ample frustration for those who had already made the journey a few times.  
"Hey Daphne." Someone replied very dully behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that it was Theodore, looking and sounding more miserable than ever. Daphne felt a pang of sympathy hit her, and she dropped her trunk and pulled him into a hug.

"Oh, Theodore! I'm so sorry I didn't write! But-"

"Your parents would have disowned you if you did?" he finished her sentence. Daphne looked away guiltily; although she swore she would never judge him based on what his father had done, her parents did not think the same way. "Don't worry, Tracey told me. And I more or less expected it from them." He said, stepping back and releasing her from the hug. Daphne couldn't help but notice a few people from the other houses staring at them, no doubt whispering to each other about how Nott's father was one of the people that attacked Saint Potter and his friends at the ministry. No one ever seemed to care that they were off the school grounds illegally, and may as well have blown the Ministry up with the amount of damage they caused! So what if Voldermort was back? Everyone knew that! Well, everyone from pureblood families knew that; only a fool like the former minister of magic would think otherwise. But none of that really bothered Daphne; she just hated everyone treating people in her house like they were vermin, especially those whose parents were arrested that night.

"How was your summer? Living with your Grandparents alright?" she asked, still looking very sympathetically towards him. He shrugged shortly and ruffled his brown hair as if he remembered something suddenly.

"I felt like I was being raised in a History of Magic textbook! They're so old-fashioned; my grandmother attempted to cut my hair almost weekly!" he sighed and shoved a 3rd year out of his way as he pulled his trunk up beside hers "But it was alright. I could have been put into some sort of orphanage if it weren't for them; I have no other relatives."

"These are your mother's parents, aren't they?" Daphne asked, her eyebrows furrowed together with slight confusion.

"Did you by chance notice how old my father was before he was arrested?" he asked in a quiet tone, barely above a whisper. "Yes, they were my mother's parents. My father's side has been dead for nearly 20 years."

Daphne nodded her head and turned around to look at the still slow-moving line. "Well, it makes you feel better, I would have given my ability to do magic if I could have seen anyone besides my family all summer." She smiled slightly.

"I thought Draco went to visit you?" Theodore pointed out lightly.

"How did you know about that?" Daphne asked, trying not to sound too surprised. She had tried to pretend that that day had never happened, with the hopes that maybe if she wished it enough, Draco would forget about it.

"He told me. I saw him just the other day. He's got quite the surprise for all of us when we get back to the common room."

"Oh." She replied softly "Well, he was only there for a moment, and I barely spoke to him." She said, waving her hand absently as she tried to change the subject, but found she didn't have much else to talk about.

"How was your summer? I read that your father was released without charges." He asked quietly as they finally climbed aboard the train and started to look for an empty car.

Daphne was hoping he wouldn't bring this up; it was awkward enough being the only Slytherin student who had a parent taken in and released, but it made her feel even more sorry for Theodore. "My summer was dismal, as usual." She sighed, looking into yet another full car. "My sister seems to think that my parents have a vast reserve of gold somewhere, and she keeps convincing them to spend it. Then, when they tell her we can afford it, she throws a temper tantrum that would rival that of a toddler."

"Your family is running out of money?" Theodore asked in a hushed voice, his eyes wide with curiosity and worry. Daphne put her finger to her lip and told him she would tell him when they found a private car.

When they finally did find one, Daphne and Theodore made themselves comfortable on opposite sides of the car, and sat in awkward silence for a few moments. Then, Daphne let out a reluctant sigh, and continued on with her story.  
"My father has no job right now; no patron to benefit our family. My mother has never worked a day in her life, so she's no help. And my sister spends money like it's going out of style!" Daphne said, staring at the floor, her arms crossed uncomfortably around her. If there was one thing she didn't like about the future, it was how uncertain her finances were. Her family could be broke in a year, or they could be rich all over again if her sister would stop spending their money.

"You know I'll help you Daphne." Theodore replied in a very smooth and matter-of-factly voice.

Daphne's face shot up in surprise. "What?! Help me with what?" she asked quietly, her eyes now wide and locked with his.

"Money. I've got tonnes now." He said simply. "But only you. I'm not helping out your sister with her self-centred existence, or your parents, who apparently have no idea how to raise a child"

"Theodore, I could never ask you for money." Daphne said quietly, looking down again.

"I knew you'd say that. But the offer will always stand, just to let you know." He said, before he opened his trunk and pulled out some cookies his grandmother had no doubt made for him.

"Why are you offering this to me?" Daphne asked, still staring at the floor. There was silence between them for a few seconds.

"Because you deserve the best." He said simply.  
Daphne looked up at him again to find him staring right her. She was about to ask what he meant, but the car's door opened, and in stepped Tracey and Blaise, who were both anxious to ask them about their summers.

That night in the common room, Draco seemed to be in much better spirits then the last time she saw him. He was bragging about how he caught Potter in his train car, and kicked the shit out of him before he left him on the train. Crabbe and Goyle found the story particularly amusing, as did Blaise and Tracey, both of whom were upset that they missed it. Daphne, although she found the story to be funny and a fine example of justice finally being done at Hogwarts, said nothing. She still felt very awkward around Draco, not only for the way he stormed out of her house a week ago, but the fact that Pansy was right there, sitting in his lap, and the little voice in the back of her mind kept yelling 'home-wrecker!'

"Show them what else you did this summer." Theodore called casually from his seat beside Daphne. They had pulled all the black leather couches closer together, gathered around the single chair that Draco and Pansy shared. It was like they were flocked around a King and Queen, and they were all little members of their court. Daphne knew what she was in this little court; the mistress. This thought made her shift uncomfortably and look away from Draco as he questioned what Theodore was talking about.

"Oh, this!" he said cheerfully. There was a uniform gasp, of both admiration and surprise from everyone around her, so Daphne finally turned her head back towards and Draco and saw what he had done. He was holding up his left arm sleeve, revealing a very obvious addition to his skin. Daphne felt her blood run cold as she thought of all the possibilities that faced Draco now; imprisonment, murder, summers wearing nothing but long sleeves!

"Draco, are you serious?!" Tracey exclaimed, grabbing his wrist and pulling his arm towards her for a closer inspection. Draco hissed a swear and yanked it out of her grip.

"_Ouch_! Yes, I'm serious and _don't_ do that again!" he growled. Tracey exchanged a quick glance with Daphne, who only gave her a look into her worried eyes "What do you think Daphne?" Draco asked, clearly intercepting the silent communication. Everyone waited silently for her to answer, and she was once again left scrambling for an excuse that could save her.

"Your father must be very proud." She said quietly "But I hope you'll be a little more cautious than he was."

"Cautious?" Draco laughed stiffly "My father was only put in prison because meddlesome Potter had to bring along his little gang of outcasts! He could have easily taken care of him had it only been Scarhead, as it was supposed to be." He pointed out, rolling his sleeve back down over his mark. "Now that I'm one of the Dark Lord's own men, I expect that I'll start getting treated with a little more respect around here." He added.

"I wouldn't suggest you go brandishing it about the Great Hall, Draco." Blaise chuckled as he stood from the couch "I've got some letters to write; I'll see you all later."

"Oh, bloody hell, so do I! I have to tell my Mother she forgot to back my winter jacket!" Tracey said, pounding her fist on the arm of the couch before she ran off up the stairs. After a few minutes longer, once Draco started to go into the details of his swearing in to the Dark Lord (Daphne wasn't trying desperately not to listen, and was now reading one of her textbooks), Theodore also excused himself, looking miserable once again. Eventually, Millicent and Pansy went off to get ready for bed, and Crabbe and Goyle returned to the Great Hall for more food. This left Daphne and Draco alone, unbeknownst to her at the time.

"Did you hear what I said earlier about more respect, Daphne?" he asked in a snide tone. Daphne looked up over her book, made brief eye contact, and nodded her head as she returned to pretending to read her book. "That doesn't count as respect, Greengrass."

"Don't call me that." She said in a low voice, not looking up from her book again.

"It's what I ought to call you." Draco said, standing and walking over to her, now standing in her light so she couldn't read. "You are, after all, inferior to me."

Daphne felt her ears getting hot with internal rage that was boiling. Whatever this attitude was that Draco had developed over the summer, she did not like it one bit, and was tempted to give a good smack in the head with the book she was reading. "Can you please not stand in my light." She asked through locked teeth.

In one quick motion, the book she was reading was snapped shut in her hand and yanked out of her grip, tossed over onto a nearby chair. Daphne slowly raised her face to see a very infuriated Draco, gritting his teeth so hard that his temple vein was beginning to pop out. "Who are you to think you're better than me!?" he demanded, his voice very powerful, but not loud enough to attract the attention of their other housemates.

"What are you talking about!?" Daphne hissed, furrowing her eyebrows together in confusion.

"You talk to me like you're better than me now! What, because my father got thrown away it prison, now you and your family think it's a good opportunity to move up the social ladder? Well let me tell you, _Greengrass_; when my father gets out of prison, and we get all our power back, your family is going to be nothing to us."

Daphne stood up sharply, unable to hold in much more of her rage. She balled her fists so tight that she thought she might crack all her knuckles at once. She stared at him in angry disbelief for a moment before she finally managed to open her locked jaw enough to speak. "Are you really that self centred?" she said, barely above a whisper. "Is _that_ why you think I'm trying not to attract your attention?" she laughed stiffly at this and took a step towards him, sizing him up as she stood on her tip-toes. "Well, let me tell you, Draco Malfoy, that you're not the ONLY person who lost something that night!" she hissed, her face reflecting the sharpness of her voice. "Look around you, Draco! Look at Theodore, who lost his last parent in the same battle, and now lives in the care of his grandparents! Look at Crabbe! His mother had to move to another _village_ to avoid all the shame that his father brought them!" Daphne paused to take a few very deep and angry breaths. "Or better yet, _look at me_! You think you're the only Slytherin who lost something when _your _father screwed up!?" she felt herself shaking a little with anger. Draco kept the same sneer like he was being spoken to by something insolent, and she wasn't even sure if he was really listening, but she didn't care. "My family is about to lose _everything_ because of your father's imprisonment! Our families _reputation_ is shattered because of _your_ father's imprisonment! And you think that you're THE ONLY PERSON who that night affected?" she paused again, then chuckled lightly to herself. "I haven't been talking to you because I don't want you to think you can use me."

"Why the hell would I use-"

"Shut up!" Daphne snarled. He froze with the same glare at her challenge "I'm telling you once and for all that I'm trying to distance myself not because of your father! If anything, that should bring us closer, not drive us apart. It's because you're trying to make me your courtesan!"

Draco gave her a blank stare now. "A what!?" he asked, shaking his head slightly in irritation.

"Your _mistress_! Your _whore_! Harlot! Home-wrecker!" she paused, now shaking almost uncontrollably "Other words that I can't think of right now!" she added angrily. Draco now looked at her with a look that was angry, but now out of confusion. "I won't be played while Pansy reaps all the benefits!" Daphne hissed in a much quieter voice, just in case Pansy happened to frolic back into the room "So you have to make up your mind, and that's _that_!" she said, now taking a deep breath again. Now she felt very embarrassed; did she really just let all of that slip out... all in one conversation. Her face was turning red now, no longer from rage. She couldn't control her breathing or her anger, and she looked away from him to hide the humiliation she felt.

"Daphne-" he started in a far less angry tone, but she was afraid to hear what he had to say.

"I have to go unpack my trunk." She interrupted, before she backed away from him. She tripped on the chair leg as she grabbed her text book and ran out of the common room, her face burning like she had just had her head in an oven. _It would have been the same thing; I may as well throw myself into an oven, or from the Astronomy tower! I'll never be able to look at him again now... Oh God, why did I have to say all of that! And all at once! Did that conversation even make sense!? How did we even get onto that topic!? _

Daphne now sat on the edge of her bed, gripping her textbook tightly against her body. She was still breathing like she had just tried to outrun a dragon (and failed miserably!); her skin was still hot like coals. _Stupid. Stupid! STUPID! _She shouted in her head, gritting her teeth together. She heard the click of the door behind her; someone was coming in. Unable to face the questions from her roommates, she threw herself under the covers of her bed, still wearing her uniform and still gripping the book like it was the only thing holding her together. She may have just ruined her only chance and loving Draco, and this haunted her all through the night, well into the morning.

**_AN: A quick little intro into year 6. Next chapter should be filled with more dramatics (since a lot of you seem to love dramatics... hmmm)_**

Updates up soon! Review please and thankyou, and thanks to all those who have reviewed before!!


	16. Year 6 Part 2

**_AN: Ah, updates!_**

Still don't own Harry Potter. It's on my Christmas list.

For the next month, Daphne avoided Draco like he had the plague. She was so embarrassed by what she had said and done that she didn't dare look at him for fear that he would shout at her, or worse laugh. She hadn't told Tracey or anyone else about the fight either; only Draco and Daphne knew the secret.  
_  
Making it that much worse, _she thought, sighing to herself as she stared at the blackboard that Slughorn was writing on. As their new potions teacher, she was actually starting to enjoy the subject, and her marks were doing much better. Same with Defence Against the Dark Arts; now that Snape had what he wanted, he wasn't as bitter and spiteful when teaching. Charms, however, was by far her best subject, and she was advised last year to possibly consider pursuing it as a career, although she wasn't sure what that entailed. All her other classes were a bore, made worse since she was in all the same classes as Draco. _Why did I take all the same classes as him!? God, I'm an idiot! Now I have to pretend like nothing ever happened, but at the same time try to be invisible! _

"Are you even _writing_ the notes?" Theodore whispered from beside her. Daphne shook her head out of surprise and scrambled to copy down what was written on the board; she was so enwrapped in her own self-pity that she forgot to pay attention! "God, you zone out worse than Blaise does." He remarked, giving Blaise a sideways glance. Blaise discretely gave him the finger and turned to say something to his potions partner, who happened to be Draco.

"Not like it matters; Blaise is wrapped right around Slughorn's finger." Daphne mumbled as she copied the list of ingredients off the board.

"Yes, well, once again, if _my_ father wasn't an arrested convict, I would be there too." Theodore grumbled to himself. Daphne paused in her writing and made a small face to herself; she regretted mentioning it now, since she was trying very hard to steer Theodore away from the idea that he would forever be living with his father's reputation looming over him. So far, she was failing miserably.

"Blaise just looks like a prat when he goes to those meetings." Daphne stated lightly, still feverously copying down the lesson.

"Slughorn is the reason why a lot of high-up wizards and witches have their jobs." Theodore retorted back. Daphne gave him a sideways glare, but didn't reply. It's not like having him as a reference would do her any good; with her luck, she'd end up as someone's maid. Or, if she was really lucky, she'd be Draco's housewife. "Going to Hogsmead tomorrow?" Theodore asked after a few minutes of silence, giving her the chance catch up on the writing.

"Of course. I need to stock up on my candy, among other things." She said, smiling slightly to herself "You? Did you want to meet at the Three Broomsticks at some point?"

"Tracey and I are going to go on a walk." He stated in a less-than-enthusiastic tone "After that, I'm sure we'll meet up."

"You and Tracey?" Daphne raised her eyebrow and poked Theodore in the ribs, eluding to the hint that she got.

"It's _just_ a walk, Daphne." Theodore rolled his eyes and kept writing.

"With_ just_ Tracey." Daphne added smartly. Theodore gave her a slight glare, but said nothing. "Well, for future reference, I have nothing against my best friends dating." She pointed out before she pretended to be too involved with the blackboard to see Theodore's look of slightly offended horror.

Daphne decided to suffer through hanging out with Pansy and Millicent the next day in order to give Tracey and Theodore whatever privacy they apparently needed. Daphne had asked Tracey what their walk was about, and she had replied with a very devious smirk and told her it wasn't her business, but she would know someday what it was all about.  
"I can't go into Honeydukes." Pansy stated firmly when Daphne mentioned it on the walk down the hill to the village. "I'm on a diet, remember?"  
_Not like it will make a difference Pansy; you can't keep him forever._ Daphne thought, and fought the urge to smile at her thoughts.

"That's fine; I'll go by myself, if you want. How about I just meet you in the Three Broomsticks?" Daphne suggested. Millicent and Pansy exchanged quick looks (like they had to consult each other on everything they did) before they agreed and walked towards the other end of Hogsmead.  
_Good riddance. _Daphne smirked to herself as she continued down the path and right into Hogsmead, smiling all the while.

About a week ago, Pansy was crying in their dorm room to Millicent when Tracey and Daphne walked in. They pretended not to be listening to what she was blubbering about, but it was hard not to. Apparently, Draco had changed. A lot. He had a far shorter tempter (Which Daphne knew already), and was always spending hours with Crabbe and Goyle, whispering plans in the corner of the common room or up in their dorms. And Pansy was feeling very neglected by all of it. So she had settled that she needed to get his interest back by losing some weight. She was convinced that once he saw her again in the same light (whatever light that was before, it made Tracey make a face like she was going to vomit), and all would be well again.  
_  
Fat chance Pansy. _Daphne thought as she grabbed a bag of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans. _Now that I know Draco doesn't love you like he used to, it's time for me to swoop in and take him for myself. _She paused for a minute as she grabbed a handful of Chocolate Frogs _But how can I do that after I said all those things? I haven't spoken to him in about a month! He might find it suspicious if I just suddenly start talking to him._ Daphne sighed again as she shoved a 3rd year out of her way to get up to the cashier. _I'll have to apologise to him tonight... or at least talk to him!_ She concluded as she handed the old wizard the money for her candy and walked out of the store.

She ran into a smirking Tracey and sufficiently bored Theodore at the Three Broomsticks a short time later. Tracey and Daphne had developed code names for Draco and Pansy; the carriage and the horse. This way, they could talk in front of Theodore about 'the horse is too old to carry the carriage' or 'the old, fat horse feels too attached to the carriage to give it up' without him understanding what or who they were talking about.  
"I'm not sure why you two are so interested in a horse and a carriage, but I'm not going to even bother trying to understand." Theodore mumbled as he got up and went to the bar to get them drinks.

"So how do you intend on convincing Draco that _now_ you're ready to snog his brains out?" Tracey smirked, lowering her voice only slightly. Daphne made a face and nodded her head towards the group of Hufflepuff's that were sitting behind them. Tracey only waved it off and waited for her response.

"I haven't figured that out yet... I mean, I still refuse to fool around with him while he's still dating Pansy, but I have to make my intentions known!"

"Well, I suggest you figure out a way soon. Pansy's actually looking a bit smaller now that she's not eating anything but carrots." Tracey remarked, a devious smile on her face. Daphne gave her a dark glare before she turned her attention to Theodore, who had returned with 3 drinks.

"That barmaid is out of it today! I swear, it looks like she hasn't slept in months!" he remarked as he handed the girls their drinks.

They sat around in the pub for a while longer before they had enough of the Hufflepuff's behind them making so much noise, and figured they should return to the common room. They had barely started back up the hill when they saw a commotion of people.

"Someone slip in the mud again?" Theodore muttered to himself. They stopped just far enough away to see one of the girls from Gryffindor lying on the ground, looking not very comfortable. Her screams were so loud that Daphne covered her ears to escape them. Just as she was about to suggest they go back to the village or something, Hagrid and Potter came from the distance. The giant only looked at her for a moment before he scooped her up and carried the screeching girl towards the castle.

"What the hell was that?" Pansy asked, now appearing beside Theodore. Millicent stood silently behind her, and from out of the corner of Daphne's eye, she saw Blaise and Draco step forward to watch the giant walk away with the girl.

"Is he going to feed her to an ogre or something?" Blaise chuckled lightly.

"The girl was just screaming, like she was having a fit or something." Theodore remarked, looking over his shoulder at Draco. Daphne looked at Draco as well, watching his expression change to something that resembled rage.

"Draco? Are you alright?" Daphne asked quietly as the others were whispering gossip amongst themselves. He looked up at her, perhaps surprised that this was the first thing she had said to him in so long, or perhaps he was shocked that anyone noticed. He didn't say anything and just stared at her for a second, then turned and stormed back towards the village. Pansy noticed he was gone and ran after him (followed by Millicent).

"Well what's got his wand in a knot?" Blaise laughed, now apparently joining them.

"Aside from Pansy?" Tracey remarked coolly, her eyes catching Daphne's.

"Oh _that_! Theodore can tell you as well as I can; she never leaves him alone! She's pounding on our door at all hours of the night!" Blaise said, pulling his coat closed as they started to walk back up the hill.

"That and when we do let her in, you'd be lucky if your herbology earmuffs protect you against her whines and cries when he wants her to go away." Theodore added snarkily. Tracey smirked and poked Daphne in the ribs, but she pretended that she didn't notice. As she watched Draco until he was out of her sight, she wondered what his problem was now.

"Coming Daph?" Theodore called back to her, waiting with the others a few metres ahead. Daphne made a small face at being called that, and then ran to catch up with them.

The news of what had happened to the Gryffindor chaser spread fast. By dinner time, the entire school had heard about her being cursed by someone at Hogsmead. And, as usual, everyone suspected the Slytherin's.  
"Someday I'd love to hold up a sign that says '_you're next'_ to those little shits." Blaise muttered as he locked eyes with a Ravenclaw, giving them the most evil glare he could muster.

"Because _that_ would really solve our problem." Theodore remarked, sniffing a quick laugh "Our problem is Potter steals all the glory in the school."

"That's because Potter _is_ the only one who ever does anything like that! And the fact that Dumbledore loves him makes it easier for him! We all know that if _we _did half the things he gets let off for, we would have been expelled _long _ago!"Blaise remarked, at last breaking the staring contest with whomever he was glaring at, returning to eating his meal.

"Well, let them think what they want." Daphne remarked at last, putting her fork down and picking up another dinner roll "They don't know anything about us, although they wish they did."

Theodore looked at her for a moment and then shook his head slowly "It doesn't matter what they wish or want to know; it's what they _think_ they know." He looked up at the Ravenclaws, who were giving the Slytherin's scowls. "That's what matters."

Daphne sighed and looked over at Tracey, who simply shrugged her shoulders and continued to eat her soup. "I guess you have a point. And I guess if we were in another house, I'm sure we'd be glaring over at us too."

"There isn't any other house I would have been sorted into." Theodore chuckled quietly "I would have been disowned if I had."

"Harsh, but true." Blaise added, turning his head to look around the table "Wonder where Draco is... he said he'd be back by now."

"Pansy's missing too." Tracey remarked with a sour face.

"Well, never mind then. I'm sure we'll hear _all_ about it tonight..." Blaise grumbled, pushing his now clear plate away from him; it evaporated out of sight instantly.

"Oh joy." Daphne growled under her breath. Theodore looked over at her, but she pretended like she couldn't see him. He then looked over at Tracey, who once again just shrugged and continued to eat. She was being uncommonly quiet today.

"Tracey, what's up? You're not your typical, quipping self." Daphne asked, smiling at her friend, who she hadn't had a chance to talk to alone today.

"My grandmother found out about my mum and dad." She said solemnly. "Poverty, here I come!" she said with sarcastic humour.

"What? Poverty? How-"

"My grandparents have always supported us. But now that she knows about my mother and father, they'll surely disown us."

"How horrible! You would think they would be over it by now." Daphne said, her face showing the sympathy she had for her friend.

"Never." Blaise interrupted. They both looked over at Blaise with expressions that could only be understood as 'Excuse me, do you mind!?' "Your mother's family was filled with prestige and pride; you think they're going to let something like marrying a muggle just _slip _by?"

"_Blaise_!" Daphne hissed at his tone. Blaise only made a face at her, but didn't say anything else. There was silence briefly, and the Tracey finally spoke.

"Don't worry about it Daphne." She said in a low tone. "Blaise can shove his pretences up his ass because we _both_ know that nothing would stop his mother from sleeping with anyone, regardless of bloodline."

"I'm leaving now." Theodore announced, standing from the table as Blaise and Tracey began to growl various insults at each other. "C'mon Daphne, just leave them to it." He said, taking her arm gently and pulling her up off the bench. As they walked away, they could hear the argument getting louder, and no doubt attracting a lot of attention, and Daphne was thankful to be taken out of there.

As Daphne and Theodore entered the common room, he told her that he had to go do some homework, and he ran upstairs to get it. Daphne sighed and leaned against the leather armrest of the black couches in the common room, looking up at the green-tinted skylight from the lakes cold water.  
"Daydreaming, Daphne?" a snide voice remarked from the tables. Daphne rolled her eyes and lowered her vision, her glare meeting Astoria's.

"Taking a break from soliciting, Astoria?" Daphne smirked. Her sister's smug smile instantly faded, and she stood from her chair and walked over to her sister.

"My my, aren't you the jealous type?" she snarled. Daphne tipped her head back and let out a sharp laugh before she looked at her sister with the same patronizing face that their mother used on them.

"Oh Astoria; someday, when you're older, you'll understand that not everyone wants to be like you." She smirked "Especially with a track record like yours. I see that your current boy friend is in 7th year? Isn't he a little _young_ for you? I thought you liked them _at least_ 5 years older?"

Astoria's face was starting to turn a little red, and the anger was starting to build up on her face "That's rich! Coming from a girl who's only had one boyfriend in her entire life! And look who he ended up with in the end?" she glared.

"Correction, Astoria; you're no longer dating Blaise. And isn't it ironic that I didn't shell out everything on the spot for him, and yet I still managed to keep him for the same length of time that you did?" Daphne smiled like the devil, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Funny how that works, isn't it?"

Astoria's fists were clenched so hard that Daphne thought she might try and strike her. Daphne focused all her thoughts now on where her wand was; if this little harlot tried anything, she would hex her into next week!

"Daphne." Called someone from behind her. She whipped her head around and saw Draco, sitting in a chair beside the fire, alone. Their eyes locked momentarily, and he lazily gestured with his hand for her to come over to him. She felt a lump build in her throat and her face turn a little pink.

"If mother and father hear you're associating yourself with _him_, you'll never hear the end of it!" Astoria threatened quietly. Daphne turned back to her sister slowly and gave her another condescending smile.

"Aww, nothing to blackmail me with but talking with my classmate? You're losing your touch." Her voice sounded like a predator that had finally trapped its prey. She reached out and patted her sister on the shoulder, then pushed her back from her so she could walk over to Draco.

He was sitting by the fire, staring into the burning embers. Daphne pulled up one of the other chairs, sat down, and waited. She wasn't sure what she was going to say or do, so she decided that it was best to let him start the conversation. She waited patiently, watching him instead of the fire that he was so focused on; he looked frustrated. It wasn't an expression that anyone saw very often, but was unmistakeable when it appeared.  
"I've been thinking about what you said." He said, still staring at the fire. It lit up one side of his body, making his hair look a light shade of orange. It made Daphne think of what she always pictured their children looking like...

"Which part?" she asked quietly, her heart beginning to race again in her chest.

"Both." He remarked flatly. "You're right; this... _situation_... should bring us together, not drive us apart." He stated, and then in the first time since she arrived, he looked away from the fire at the crowd in the room. "Come walk with me; I want to talk to you about something." He asked, standing from the chair and waiting beside hers. She sat frozen for a moment, and once she gathered the proper amount of strength, she stood slowly and followed him out of the common room.

Daphne followed Draco through the now dimly lit hallways of the school, not afraid of being caught. Since Draco was a prefect, he could walk around whenever he wanted, and not have to worry about explaining himself. If anyone asked what Daphne was doing out, he could simply say that he was escorting her to Snape's office or something.  
All the while as they walked, Daphne tried very hard to keep her breathing calm and rhythmic, as opposed to the hyperventilation attack she was fighting off. When she saw what direction he was heading in, she almost fainted; the astronomy tower. Not only was it a popular make-out location, but it would be completely abandoned, since there were no Astronomy classes tonight. _He planned this out well. _She thought as she started to climb the stairs behind him. When they reached the top, she was a little surprised that he didn't go outside. But when she heard the howling wind on the other side of the wooden door, she understood why. Draco cast a quick spell on the stairway bellow them, making the steps icy to anyone who would try and climb up behind them.

"What did you want to talk about?" Daphne asked hoarsely, cursing her voice for sounding so pathetic. Thankfully, there were lit torches so he couldn't sneak up on her like he did last time.

"I want to tell you something." He said in a low voice, checking down the stairs every couple of seconds. "And you have to swear that you won't tell a soul what I'm about to tell you, or so help me I'll kill you." He added, his face clearly showing her that this was not a joke. Daphne nodded her head, but he shook his slowly in response. "Not good enough; I want you to swear it."

"I-I swear." She replied nervously. He looked relieved already, and listened down the stairwell for anything. When he heard nothing, he turned back to her.

"I have a mission." He started quietly, looking right into Daphne's eyes. "From the Dark Lord himself. He wants me to find a way to get Death Eaters into the school," Daphne raised her eyebrows at what he was saying, and he paused. "To kill Dumbledore."

"_What?!_" Daphne breathed, putting her hand against her chest to make sure her heart didn't give out. "How can he expect you to be able to do that?!"

"I can do it." He shot back sharply. They both stared at each other in silence "I just need to figure out _how _to do it..."

Daphne paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. Draco looked away from her for a moment, back down the stairs again, checking. "What will he do _if_ you fail?" Daphne asked, her voice barely audible. He looked back at her, and she could see the fear in his eyes.

"He'll kill my family" he replied quietly. Daphne felt the air escape her lungs and her skin go pale. She had heard stories how cruel the Dark Lord could be, but this was different; this was real now. She found that she could think absolutely nothing to say to him, and just stood there staring at him with the terror evident in her eyes now. "I'm telling you this because I might need help at some-"

"Anything!" Daphne blurted out. Draco was startled a little by her outburst, and looked at her for reassurance of what she had just said "Anything I can do Draco. I swear. I can't believe the Dark Lord would do this to you, but I'll try and help as much as I can."

Draco chuckled lightly and shook his head slowly "I can believe it. The Dark Lord is furious with my family, and is looking for an excuse to punish us." He said quietly, no longer looking at Daphne. "But I'm not going to fail." He said, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself "Despite what everyone thinks."

"I'll help you anywhere I can" Daphne told him again, pulling her robes tighter around her; the wind outside was beginning to penetrate the doors. "I'm not sure what use I'll be, but I'll try."

"Good." He said quietly, shivering a little from the cold wind outside. "I'm freezing up here." He remarked curtly "Let's get back to the common room before Pansy comes looking for me again." At the mention of Pansy, Daphne's heart sank again. Although he said he had been thinking about _both_ things Daphne told him, he hadn't mentioned the second one yet. Waiting for him to say something was like waiting for Theodore to smile; she knew it would come eventually, and when it did, it would no doubt catch her off guard.

Draco didn't mention the second topic at all that night. When they arrived back at the common room, Pansy was sitting there waiting, and gave Daphne a very suspicious look. She felt her skin go cold and hot all at once. _Quick! Think! Steer her mind away!  
_  
"Oh Pansy, I _love_ that bracelet!" Daphne remarked, walking away from Draco and standing beside where she was sitting, looking down at the silver jewelled chain around her wrist.

"Draco gave it to me for my birthday. Where were you two?" she remarked in a flat tone, giving Daphne a very obvious glare.

"Pansy, stop it. I told you I needed Daphne to help me with charms." Draco grumbled from his chair again. Daphne turned her head and looked at him, instantly catching on to the game.

"Yes, he's hopeless when it comes to, uh..." Daphne trailed off and looked at Draco, who stared back for a moment, then caught the hint.

"Petrificus Totalus!" he blurted out quickly "I can't seem to get it, but Daphne seems to have a gift for charms."

"Thanks!" Daphne breathed, smiling brightly. Pansy scowled, stood and walked over to Draco, taking his hand as an obvious sign of possession. Daphne nodded her head awkwardly and looked around desperately for something to do take her away. "Well, I have some homework to do... I'll, uh... go now." She smiled to Pansy sweetly before she turned and walked to the stairwell that would lead her to her dorm.

Daphne told Tracey about Pansy's newfound suspicion of her, but didn't mention what had brought it on. Tracey suggested that she play it cool, but wasn't really interested in talking about Pansy at that moment...

"I can't believe the tripe Blaise was talking about! He thinks his mother is on a different level then mine!" she laughed to herself, falling back onto her bed and staring at the ceiling above her "At least my mother has actually kept track of the number of men she's slept with... and I told Blaise that too! You should have seen his face when I said that!"

Tracey's ranting faded away out of Daphne's consciousness as she stared at the ceiling above her, her mind running through everything Draco had said. Even though she wasn't sure how she could help him, she was sure that she could offer something supportive. Until she felt her heavy eyelids close, she was plotting and scheming in her head. The last thought she had was _Greengrass's always help the Malfoy's... that's what father always said... but now everything's different, and I'm the only person in my family... maybe in this whole house, who is willing to help_. Then she finally let all the excitement that had warn her out take her into slumber.

**_AN: Couple short scenes to keep you all happy :)  
Next chapter will bring back the romance... hehehe!!  
Reviews are always welcome and appriciated!  
Now I'm going to go back to listening to Repo! The Genetic Opera :_**


	17. Year 6 Part 3

**_AN: Alright! One of the events I've been looking forward to writing!! I hope you all enjoy it! It's also longer then the last few updates I've posted, so yeah!! Have fun!!_**

The next few weeks flew by as the Slytherin's immersed themselves into their school work and social circles. Daphne and Tracey were spending almost as much time with Blaise and Theodore as they were with Pansy and Millicent. Now that Draco was very preoccupied with his task at hand, he excused himself from as many social gatherings as he could, and occasionally left Crabbe and Goyle behind too. Pansy was miserable and edgy because of it, no doubt convinced that he was sneaking around with another girl. But lucky for Daphne, she had yet to conveniently disappear when Draco was missing too, and the suspicion was slowing fading away from Pansy's mind.  
"I just wish he would be honest with me." Pansy sighed one night as they all sat around in their dorm, reading and writing letters home. The other girls all exchanged wary glances, not sure what to say to her exclamation. They all knew that once they got her started, there would be no way of stopping her. "I mean, he can't possibly expect me to believe he's at Quidditch practice all this time when he's doing so horribly this year! And then he says that he's getting help with Charms or something," Daphne's ears went slightly red when she heard this; she hoped that Draco wasn't still using her as an alibi "But he's doing badly in that class too! In fact, he can't be getting help in _any_ of his classes! He's doing poorly in all of them!"

"Well, surely he must be doing something academic... what else would Draco be doing running around the halls of the school at all hours of the night?" Tracey inquired in a level tone. Daphne had not told her about what Draco had said to her... she hadn't told anyone! But that didn't stop Tracey from asking her almost weekly if she was the reason Draco was sneaking off from the dorm. She had to remind her each time that she was present for the entire duration of his disappearance.

"I can only imagine..." Pansy growled as she looked at herself in the mirror, fiddling with her brown hair absently. Daphne and Tracey exchanged looks, and then looked back to their work guiltily. "You know Draco rather well, don't you Daphne?" she asked, turning away from her mirror and walking over to the end of Daphne's bed.  
_  
Oh no... _Daphne sighed in her head "Uh, as well as any of us do, I would imagine."

"Do _you_ know what he's up to?" she ignored her statement. Her tone sounded more like an accusation, and Daphne sat up uncomfortably, catching Tracey's watchful eye, paying very close attention to what was happening.

"I have no idea Pansy, really." Daphne said gently "And I don't see why he would tell me in the first place."

"But if you knew he was up to something... seeing anyone a lot, you would tell me, wouldn't you?" she pressed, her eyes locked deliberately hard with hers. Daphne shifted uncomfortably under her stare and cleared her throat a little.

"Of course I would!" Daphne said, her throat feeling like she was being strangled by her own lies. "I would never betray one of my dearest friends like that." She added, her lungs closing a little more again. Her own lies and deceit were starting to build up on her mind, and it was getting harder and harder to keep up with herself.

"Sure." Pansy replied sharply, then turned back to her side of the dorm and starting to fidget around again. Daphne gave Tracey a stare with wide eyes, clearly telling her that she was worried. Tracey ripped out a piece of parchment from her notebook and scrawled a quick note, then tossed it over onto her bed.  
_  
Careful what you're doing Daphne! She knows something's up!  
_  
Tracey's warning caused a variety of emotions to react. One was fear of the wrath of Pansy, which she did want to endure at any time. Another was anger; if Pansy couldn't keep a hold of Draco, then she didn't _deserve_ to keep him! And a third was the anxiety and worry she felt for Draco; had he really not told his own girlfriend!? It didn't seem to make sense that he wouldn't tell her about it, since she was sure to be supportive.

Daphne wrote a quick response on the note again, and waited for Pansy to be distracted away from her mirror so she could toss it back to Tracey. _I haven't done anything! She's being paranoid and foolish, _she wrote, hoping that by steering Tracey away too, there would be no more questions asked about whether or not Daphne was involved with Draco's strange behaviour.

Tracey nodded her head slowly and burnt the paper up with her wand before she returned to her work silently. Daphne quietly sighed to herself and leaned back against her pillow. _What have I gotten myself into now?_ She thought, twirling a piece of her strawberry blonde hair on her finger. _Draco told me I can't tell anyone, and with a secret like that, I couldn't tell anyone if I wanted! I'm not about to risk my own life just so Pansy can sleep a little better at night! But now I've sworn to tell her if I know something! Those two statements are contradictions within themselves! _Daphne let her head fall back and hit the headboard in frustration. When the others looked over, she passed it off as she was having a hard time answering a question on her Ancient Runes assignment. _It's better if they know nothing about it anyways... this is between me and Draco... no one else..._

Not to anyone's surprise, many of the Slytherin students stayed home for Christmas. Tracey's mother told her the situation was too messy with their family that she shouldn't come home until June. Theodore's grandparents were experiencing their yearly flu attack, and commanded that he stay at school to avoid getting sick himself. Daphne and Astoria had both received similar letters, telling them that their father was too busy trying to find another job (this time legitimately), and their mother was too frustrated with their situation, and told them to spend the holidays at school.  
_  
No great loss there..._ Daphne thought as she crumpled the letter and tossed it into the fire in the Great Hall. Astoria watched her sister as she walked back to her seat with a face that is normally seen on a spoiled 3-year old's face. Her pout demonstrated to Daphne that she clearly wasn't amused that she wasn't welcome home this Christmas, despite being the favourite of the family.

The only lucky people who would be returning home to their homes over the break were Blaise, Millicent, Goyle, and a very reluctant Pansy. When she had heard that Draco was going to stay at school, at his mother's request, she was furiously upset and ran off crying. She told Millicent later that she was convinced he was seeing someone else now, and that they must be staying here for the break. She tried to write home and tell her parents that she wanted to stay, but they told her she had to come home for the holidays.  
"You must watch out for me, Daphne." Pansy commanded as she packed her trunk. Daphne looked at her oddly, her head tilted to one side in curiosity "I want you to tell me if he does _anything_ weird. I mean if he leaves the common room alone, or skips meals, or _anything_!"

"Well, I can't watch him all the time-"

"You had better find a way! I am depending on you, Daphne!" she said stubbornly.  
_  
You really need to learn how to judge people's characters, Pansy..._ Daphne thought. She wasn't sure how she could deflect a statement like that, so she simply smiled and nodded her head convincingly.

Once everyone who was going home had left, Tracey pulled Daphne aside as they walked back to the common room, her eye's alight with the thrill of a new plan. "This is perfect, Daph!" she whispered excitedly "Now you have the means to frame Draco! Make him look guilty for something!"

"I don't think I can." Daphne replied solemnly. Tracey stopped dead in her tracks and grabbed her friend hard on the arm.

"WHAT! Are you backing out, Daphne?" Tracey stared at her in disbelief "This is what you've wanted for _years_! Don't ruin your only chance to get him!"

"I know, but..." Daphne trailed off as she tried to think of something to say. "I really have no idea what he's up to. I mean, what if he really_ is_ having an affair? I'm not sure I'll want to date him either to be honest."

"Oh please, Daphne!" Tracey laughed "Draco_ isn't_ having an affair! He's off creating the usual trouble he always makes with Crabbe and Goyle; trying to avenge his father's imprisonment or something against Potter! It's so obvious that Pansy is completely blind of it!"

"You really think so?" Daphne played along. _Better you think this that the truth..._ "But why wouldn't he tell Pansy this?"

"The less people that know the better, right?" Tracey remarked lightly, taking her friend by the arm and starting back to the common room again. "Look, all I'm saying is making some suggestions to her, like he sneaks out of the common room at 3am every morning and doesn't come back until 9."

"And then what do I tell her?" Daphne asked, eyebrows raised defiantly. Tracey gave her a smirk and held her head high in a proud manor at her own genius.

"_Then_ you leave the seeds of mistrust to grow into lovely flowers of hatred. The mind is like a greenhouse for growing all sort of fantastic obsessions." She remarked matter-of-factly. Daphne paused and nodded her head slowly; she had a point, after all. It would be so easy for Daphne to snatch Draco away now that Pansy was worried enough to leave her in charge of spying on him.  
_  
But if I start dating him right after, then I'll be the first person she'll turn her rage onto. _Daphne reminded herself, the voice in the back of her mind almost taunting her. She frowned at this revelation and bit the inside of her lip to prevent herself from swearing.

Christmas day was much more uneventful than past years for the Slytherins. The yearly haul wasn't as extravagant for all of them, and some, like Astoria, were starting to realize that things weren't going to go back to the way they were was finally setting in.  
"What did you get from mother and father?" Astoria squeaked, running across the common room as soon as she saw her sister. Daphne rolled her eyes and excused herself from the conversation she was having with Tracey and Theodore. She took her sister aside to a quiet corner of the room and crossed her arms as she waited for the inevitable whining.

"Not pleased with your profits this year, Astoria?" she asked in a smart tone. Astoria narrowed her eyes at her sister and stood with her hands on her hips, directly challenging her with her posture.

"You didn't answer my question; _what_ did _you _get!"

Daphne sighed, rolling her eyes at the old news of her sister's jealous over anything and everything that she thought Daphne had over her. "I got new dragon hide gloves from father and a new pair of earrings from mother." She paused and looked at her sister "What _didn't _you get? Aside from the moon and stars, like you ask for every year."

"I got the same thing!" she breathed sharply, as if she shock was too much for her to take. "How is that possible!? I haven't done anything wrong!"

"You're far to spoiled." Daphne chuckled. "And like they told you in the summer; we can't afford to satisfy your every whim anymore."

Astoria looked furious at her sister's statement "Impossible. We're one of the riches wizard families in England!"

"HAH! Hardly Astoria!" Daphne laughed "Mother and Father may have built you up to believe that, but we were no richer than anyone else in this house. In fact, right now, we're probably poorer."

"Impossible! Father-"

"Lost his _job_, Astoria." Daphne said, her tone now starting to get annoyed and angry. "When is that going to get through your empty head?" Astoria said nothing; she only glared at her sister stiffly, like if she concentrated hard enough, she would change their outcome. "Look, either you start accepting the fact, or you can go get a job and support yourself. Deal with it." She paused and glanced at the others, who were watching and waiting for her to come back. "And be thankful you got what you did; we're lucky to have gotten anything."

And with that, Daphne left her sister to run over the revelation she had, and crossed the room to returned to Theodore and Tracey. They both asked what that was all about, but she brushed it off quickly as nothing, and resumed their talk about The Weird Sisters...

A few days later, New Years eve was upon them. Everyone had gathered in the common room, making it very crowded and loud. Daphne, who never liked large parties like this, backed herself into the far corner, and was sitting on top of the table. She watched the room curiously; as expected, this year there were about twice as many Slytherin's staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. No one apparently wanted their children to come home and see the mess they were all in.  
Astoria was over on one of the couches, making out with her current boyfriend like they were each other's oxygen supplies. The room had moved away to give them a wide birth, since no one wanted to get close to public displays of affection that were _that _severe.

Tracey and Theodore were chatting with one of the seventh years beside the fire, which had the large mantelpiece clock that would chime loudly at midnight. Daphne smiled quietly to herself at the sight of her best friends being so close. They had become particularly inseparable since the start of the holidays; Daphne was beginning to wonder if a relationship would come out of their friendship soon.  
"Why are you way over here?" Draco asked, suddenly appearing at her side. She jumped a little with surprised and laughed it off lightly, shrugging slightly.

"I don't like crowds. I'd rather just sit on the sidelines." She remarked quietly, looking down at her drink in her hand. This was one of the few times a year that butterbeer was allowed in the common room... or at least, the Slytherin's were allowed.

"Makes sense." He remarked cooly. He looked over towards the fire place and saw Theodore and Tracey in deep conversation now "They're close lately, aren't they?" he chuckled lightly. Daphne did the same and tossed her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder, drawing a little more attention to herself from him.

"It would appear so." She replied absently, too enwrapped in the fact that Crabbe and Goyle were now over by themselves. _Draco must have told them to entertain themselves... so then why is he here? _"You know I've been instructed to watch you over the break."

"By who?" Draco laughed uncomfortably.

"Pansy. She's convinced you're having an affair with someone."

Draco rolled his eyes and sniffed a short, un-amused laugh "Of course she does. She's the most jealous thing I've ever seen." He paused, looking across the room at Snape, who was watching him very attentively. They locked looks for a moment until a first year threw something that passed his face, and Snape was forced to deal with it. "Little does she know I'm having an affair with death." Draco remarked more to himself then to Daphne.

"You mean..." she paused, lowering her voice and looking at the back of his head still; he had yet to turn around from staring off into the distance "You haven't had any luck?"

Draco's head swirled back with a face that told her the answer was no. Now that she got a closer look at him, he was looking much more tired nowadays; he looked much thinner now, almost to the point that he could rival Theodore for being the skinniest guy in the house. He didn't looked healthy at all, and he knew it. "No. Not yet." He said under his breath. "I never thought this task would be so impossible, but it is! Now I'm sure he's just doing it to punish my family."

"Don't say that Draco!" Daphne breathed frantically, putting her hand out subconsciously and touching his arm. He looked down at the touch for a moment, and then looked back up at her. "You're going to figure it out, just.... give it time." She said reassuringly, trying to convince herself at the same time.

"Well, at least someone's sure." Draco grumbled, looking back out over the crowd at Snape again "No one else is."

"Is he helping you?" Daphne whispered. Draco turned back and nodded his head slowly.

"Trying to. But I don't want his help. He was a traitor to the Dark Lord once; what's to stop him from sabotaging _my_ plans in order to ruin his plans again?"

"Ah..." Daphne said quietly, looking back down at her drink. She wanted to tell Draco that maybe he should enlist the help of his teacher, but then again, he could easily just switch sides again, as he already figured out.

"Only one more minute!" a student yelled from somewhere near the fireplace. Everyone turned their faces to look at the clock, and then continued their conversations excitedly, and refilled drinks as fast as they could. Draco caught Daphne's eye, and his look had completely changed from serious to seductive.

"Draco..." Daphne started quietly, looking around at the hundreds of students around them. Someone was bound to see them if he wanted to do what she thought he did. "I don't think this is the best place..."

"I never told you what I figured out from what you said." He said, stepping in front of her, blocking everyone's sight of her. She was still sitting up on the table, and now he was leaning right against the table, only mere inches away from her face. "I want to be rid of her." He said in a low voice that made shivers go down Daphne's spine and her heart take off like a rocket.

"What?" she breathed in response, looking back directly into his eyes. _He looks serious... maybe he is serious! _She thought excitedly.

"Pansy. I want to break up with her." He explained in a hushed voice. Daphne couldn't help the ecstatic smile that crossed her face, and she fought the urge to just make out with him then and there. "But I can't." He added, like throwing a weight onto a kite about to take flight, crushing it.

"What?!" Daphne asked, her face no longer excited, but now confused and upset.

"Pansy's family is helping mine. They're bringing our name out of the gutter slowly, and it seems to be working." He explained, his face showing how trapped he felt "I can't destroy my families reputation again. If I break up with her, her parents will surely turn on us."  
Daphne sat in silence. He wanted to break up with Pansy, but she was holding him on a tight leash with the threat of ruin again. She stared down at her drink, her grip so tight on the glass that she thought she may break it. She wanted so bad to just kill Pansy right now; she was standing in the way of everything she wanted! Her only hope of happiness in life! _Pansy and her fat ass, stuck up, bitch-faced-_

"15 seconds!" a student called from across the room again. Daphne's ranting train of thought was interrupted by the cheers from everyone else in the room. She looked up slowly from her drink, and her eyes held the contempt and sourness that she felt.

"Doesn't mean I can't see you." Draco suggested, moving closer still. Daphne's heart restarted with a kick. All her rage instantly melted away, and she was left staring into his grey eyes again. "It just means we have to pretend like we aren't."

"I don't want to pretend though!"

"10! 9!" the students shouted around them.

"Well then just wait." Draco smirked, moving closer still. All at once, all the shouting and cheering students seemed to fade away, and it was just him. "Because I want you, not her. When I fix everything, then you'll get what you want." He reassured her, his low voice making her feel like she was being hypnotised.

"5! 4!" the cheering continued around them. Daphne smiled very faintly at his promise, and moved a little closer too; they were right against each other, just staring into each other's eyes.

"Agreed?" Draco smirked, reaching out and closing the gap of only inches when he wrapped his arms around her waist, now practically leaning on the table with her.

"Agreed." Daphne breathed at the last second as Draco closed the final gap and pressed his lips against hers, causing electric currents to shoot all through her body.

"Happy New Year!" The room shouted in unison. It sounded like they were far away in a tunnel to Daphne; all her brain could focus on was Draco kissing her, telling her he wanted her, and apparently no longer caring who knew, since he felt that the common room was apparently a private enough place.

The kiss ended abruptly a few moments later when a 4th year accidently backed into Draco, causing him to lose his balance and have to move back from her in order to stop from falling. Lucky for them, Tracey and Theodore had just gotten up to find them, and didn't see anything of their quick display of affection. Daphne and Draco smirked at each other before Daphne reached out for a casual hug, pulling herself off the table when he took her into his arms.

"Why are you way back here?" Tracey yelled over the noise of the crowd. Daphne shrugged and hugged her, wishing her a happy new year. She did the same for Theodore too, who as usual had a hug that resembled that of a suit of armour; cold and stiff.

"Let's go get a drink." Daphne suggested to Tracey, taking her by the arm and leading her away. She caught Draco's eye as she walked away, and she gave him a quick nod of reassurance as they left. _I won't tell her today... she doesn't need to know about this... yet. _She paused as they passed Astoria, who was still locked in a very passionate embrace with her 7th year boy-toy. Daphne rolled her eyes and tugged Tracey's arm to continue on. _I want her to think... I want _everyone_ to think that I'm innocent... That way, Pansy will never be able to turn on me._

Daphne and Draco didn't run into each other again for a couple days, making Daphne wonder what he was up to now. She really did hope that he had something planned, and that he was working hard to put it into action. For if he succeeded in his task, then his family would return to glory, and then he could dump Pansy.

She had never felt so dazed and absent in her life. All she could think of for the past 72 hours was Draco saying he wanted her...  
_He wants me... HE wants ME... HE WANTS ME! _She sang in her head as she skipped through the common room, barely aware of the students that were all lounging about, making the most of their last few days of the holiday. Daphne's eyes were glazed over, and she wore a faint smile all the time now...even when she slept. She was living in her dream world now, and nothing would pull her attention out of it.

So of course she didn't see what was about to happen.

"Daphne! What's going on?" Theodore asked, running up and walking just behind her. His voice sounded different, and she wound have under any other circumstances asked him what was wrong, but she was on her way to go daydream in her dorm about her future with Draco.  
"Oh, nothing much!" she replied gleefully, turning her head slightly over her shoulder to smile at him. He opened his mouth to say something else, but she had turned back to continue up to her dorm.

And everything was black.

She awoke what seemed like seconds later, staring up at a white ceiling. She blinked slowly; her head was groggy and slow, and she felt like she had just been awoken from an overly-long nap. Once she was able to open her eyes all the way, she started to take in her surroundings; she was in the hospital wing.  
"What the f-" she cut herself as she instantly felt a throbbing pain in her skull that nearly made her scream. "Oh God! What's happening!?"

"There you are." Theodore remarked in a relieved voice. "We weren't sure if you'd really done yourself an injury and were in a coma."

"What? An injury?" she put her hand against her head to try and stop the pain, but found she couldn't. "What's happening Theodore!?"

"Some git of a second year was walking down from the dorms with his broomstick. You walked right into the handle just as he was swinging it over his shoulder. Knocked you right out."

"I was knocked out? But it only felt like seconds..." she paused, rubbing her skull gently with her fingers, but even the gentlest touch felt like nails being hammered into her head "I'm assuming that's why my head feels like a pumpkin ready to explode?"

"Looks like it too. You're going to have a glorious bruise." Theodore smirked.

"What!?" she breathed, rolling over and snatching a hand mirror on the bedside table. Sure enough, there was a grey lump on her head that made her really look like a pumpkin "Oh my God! This is horrible!"

"Now now, Miss Greengrass, it's not that bad." Madame Pomfrey soothed very dully; for a nurse, she wasn't always the most kind and caring woman. "I'll just slop this cream on your head and the swelling will go away in a few minutes." She said, pulling a can off the cart she dragged behind her. She dipped a brush into it like she was about to paint a house. It was the colour of old, moulding oatmeal, and smelled like something indescribable. She dipped the paintbrush into the can and then slathered the disgusting cold paste over her forehead, then gathered up her supplies as quick as she came and rolled away.

"This is disgusting." She grumbled, crossing her arms angrily and glaring at the wall.

"Looks disgusting." Theodore said, clearly having a hard time stifling the laugh he felt. Daphne glared at him for a moment, then resumed staring at the wall ahead.

"I'm glad you find my condition so amusing." She said in a sarcastically cheery voice.

"Well, don't condemn him yet, Miss Greengrass. He's the one who carried you all the way here." Madame Pomfrey pointed out lightly as she returned to the side of her bed, pouring a bright blue liquid into a glass.

"You carried me?" Daphne asked, a little amazed that Theodore could even carry her in the first place. Theodore only smiled and shrugged.

"Now drink this. It will make the bruise go away in no time." Madame Pomfrey told her as she handed her the glass of medicine.

"Got anything for headaches?" Daphne groaned as she smelt the liquid in the glass, and visibly cringed when it stung her nostrils.

"I'm afraid the Hufflepuff Quidditch team has taken all of my draughts for headaches. Apparently someone jinxed their bats, causing them to pummel their brains out."

"Nothing new..." Theodore mumbled under his breath. Madame Pomfrey gave him a warning look.

"After the swelling cream has disappeared in a minute, you can go. But make sure you drink that!" she said, pointing her old claw-like finger at the bright blue drink Daphne held in her hand. Then she gathered some things from across the room and walked out of the room.

"God, it smells like piss!" Daphne complained as she smelt it again. Theodore chuckled a little but told her to just drink it. She grimaced a little, then tipped the glass towards her open mouth and let the liquid flow down her throat. It burned at first, but not from the taste, but the tingly, overpowering minty taste that it had. "Not bad." She mumbled, before she put the glass on the bedside table, then sank back into pillows and sighed. "So what time is it?"

"7:30." Theodore stated smartly.

"What! I was out for that long!?" she breathed, looking towards the windows that showed the dark January sky. "And you waited here all this time?"

"Well I carried you all the way here; did you think I was just going to abandon you afterwards?" Theodore chuckled lightly "Besides, Pomfrey wanted to know every single detail of what had happened, as did Snape."

"_Please _tell me they didn't write home to my family." Daphne whined.

"I doubt it. I'm sure if you had been in a coma they would have, but being knocked out is pretty common around here." Theodore stated, patting her hand comfortingly. "Not like your parents would have done anything anyways, right?"

"True, but they would have found some way to blame me for it. Tell me I should have watched where I was going or something." Daphne smiled. Theodore smiled too, and just seemed to stare at her for a few moments before he sighed and stood up from his chair, smiling comfortingly down at her.

"Well, that sludge she put on your head is practically gone, and you're looking better already. Not like you have a giant bug trying to crawl out of your skull now."

"Thanks Theodore." Daphne chuckled, flipping the sheets off her and climbing out of the bed. "Where are my shoes?" she said, noting her socked feet.

"Under the table." He said, nodding his head in the direction behind her. She thanked him and pulled her old black shoes on her feet and black school robe. "Ready to go?" Theodore said, a slightly crooked smile crossed his lips when he looked at her forehead. "Your head looks fine now. How's the headache?"

"Ugh, horrible!" Daphne said; being reminded of it made it stick out even more now. "I just want to get some sleep right now."

"Don't let her fall asleep for at least 4 hours!" Madame Pomfrey called from her office. Daphne groaned and rubbed her temples in frustration. Her head was still throbbing with pain, and all she wanted to do was curl up and sleep it off.

"We'll just sit in the common room then; 11:30 isn't that far off" Theodore reassured her, putting his arm around her for a moment as he started her in the direction of the exit.

"Oh yeah, before I forget," Daphne said quietly "Thanks for helping me." She smiled at him. Theodore only nodded quickly and stepped ahead of her to hold the door open for her.

For the next 3 hours, Theodore tried everything he could think of to keep Daphne awake. They tried playing wizard's chess, but found that Daphne couldn't keep her attention long enough, and lost the game miserably. Then they tried to play Snap, but she kept getting her fingers hurt with her lack of reflexes.  
"Can we just talk?" Daphne groaned, leaning her head onto the edge of the table. As soon as it rested, she felt the palm of Theodore's hand pushing her forehead back up.

"You can't fall asleep for another hour; surely you can survive that long without closing your eyes." He pointed out as he walked over to the couches with her. Daphne immediately collapsed onto the under-stuffed leather and tried to fall asleep, but Theodore shook her awake. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"A little dramatic Theodore." Daphne grumbled as she sat up slowly and slouched deep into her chair. "If you had a headache like I do right now, you would want to go to sleep too."

"One more hour Daphne." Theodore reminded her.

"Yes. One more horrid hour until I can finally pass out." She moaned, leaning her head back on the couch and closing her eyes. Then she felt a sharp pain on her leg that made her jump. Theodore was staring very deliberately at her, his fingers by her leg still. "That hurts Theo."

"That's the point, _Daph_." He remarked smartly. She crossed her arms and stared at the clock above the fireplace, watching it tick by very slowly. And once again, before she knew it, she felt a sharp pain fly up from her leg.

"OW! Stop _pinching_ me Theodore!" she replied sharply, smacking his hand away from her leg.

"Stop falling asleep." He chuckled in response.

"I _can't_! Surely to God one hour isn't going to make much of a difference!"

"I'll be sure to quote that at your funeral." Theodore smirked.

Daphne sighed in frustration and stared at the clock again. "Theodore, if you had any sense of loyalty, you would kill that stupid ass who hit me in the head."

"Say it again and I'll do it." He replied, his tone sounding neither serious nor joking. Daphne rolled her head on the back of the couch to look at Theodore, her eyebrows raise at his statement.

"You're not helping the whole 'people judge me based on my father' thing with remarks like that." She said, a small smile on her lips.

"I wouldn't kill for anyone; only select people." Theodore said, slouching down in the couch "And Voldermort _isn't_ one of them."

"Oh, well in that case I feel honoured." Daphne sniffed a quick laugh. "But seriously, you need to stop saying things like that..."

"It's not guaranteed that I would actually do it. Maybe I would be super sneaky and just convince him to leave the country." Theodore smirked. "Maybe that's what I'll do. I'll just perform memory charms on people, convince them that they're someone else, and tell them to go home to Germany or something."

"Why are we even talking about this? It's not like you're really thinking about being a Death Eater." Daphne remarked, looking back at the clock. When Theodore didn't answer, she snapped her head around again to face him "Theodore, you couldn't possibly-"

"I'm beginning to think I don't have a choice." He remarked solemnly. Daphne found that she could only stare in shock. "He showed up at my house over the summer. Voldermort came to my Grandparents house, that is... He came to tell me that despite my father's embarrassing imprisonment, he had heard I was a reliable man, and he looked forward to my joining him when I finished school." He replied flatly. They both sat in silence as they waited for the other to say something. After about a minute, Theodore sighed and ran his fingers through his shaggy brown hair in frustration. "So you see my dilemma? I have to find a way to avoid the Dark Lord when I graduate. And we all know from experience that there isn't any easy way to slip out from his grasp."

"Oh God Theodore." Daphne whispered, putting her face in her hands for a moment. Then she rested her face on her knuckles and stared at the fire. "Why does he want you all now? First Draco, now you?"

"It only makes sense." He remarked emotionlessly. "Our fathers are in prison, so he wants to replace them with us, despite our age and inexperience."

"It's horrible." Daphne sighed, putting her face back into her hands. She sat there for a few moments, and this time she did feel herself drifting to sleep. And just as soon as she felt her mind begin to relax, a shrill tickling sensation sent a shudder through her body. She jolted awake again and smacked Theodore's hands away from her only weak spot; her ribs. "Stop it Theodore! Surely there is some other way to keep my awake for another" she glance at the clock and sighed in frustration "45 minutes."

"I've got one other method, if need be." He said casually. Daphne frowned and resumed staring at the clock.

"I'll bet you do." She mumbled, her eyes determinedly fixed on watching the time fly by. But the second hand seemed to move in slow motion, and Daphne could have sworn that time was moving backwards instead of forward. Her eyes got less focused first; then she had trouble keeping her now heavy eyelids open. Before she knew it, her eyes were closed, and she was drifting off again.

She thought she was dreaming at first. There was a cold hand on her face, and she thought that perhaps his method would be to slap her. But then she felt something warm on her lips.  
_Oh, I am dreaming! _She thought happily to herself _I must be dreaming of Draco again._

_No. This can't be a dream._ She realized; the cold hand felt too real, as did the kiss. Her eyes flew open, and sure enough, Theodore was kissing her. Daphne sat in shock for a moment before she pulled away from him. They both stared at each other for half a minute, then Theodore smiled and sat back in his seat.  
"Was that your method?!" Daphne breathed.

"It worked didn't it? You're certainly awake now." He smirked, not looking at her.

Daphne sat there in utter confusion, unsure what to say or do now. After another minute of just sitting beside each other awkwardly, she finally spoke. "Why did you do that?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

"It was an experiment." He said coolly. Daphne's eye went a little wider.

"Experiment for _what_?" she breathed. Theodore didn't answer her; instead he stood from the couch and faced the door to the girl's dormitories.

"Tracey, can you take Daphne upstairs?" he said to the darkness.

"Sure." Tracey said, smiling very contently to herself as she stepped out of the shadows and walked over towards them.

"How did you know she was there?" Daphne asked, standing from the couch with surprise to see Tracey.

"She can go to sleep in half an hour." Theodore told Tracey, then turned to Daphne "See? I've shaved 10 minutes off for you."

"Thanks Theodore." Daphne mumbled, looking at Tracey, who held her arm out for her to take.

"Night Theo." Tracey smirked.

"Night Trace." He replied in a dull tone. Daphne stared at Tracey in confustion at the nickname basis they were on now, but followed Tracey up the stairs despite it.

"How's your head?" Tracey asked, leading Daphne over to her bed.

"Apparently I'm hallucinating things." Daphne sighed "Did Theodore just kiss me? I know you were there, so just tell me."

"My eyes tell me yes, he did." Tracey chuckled.

Daphne sighed and flopped back onto her bed. "_Why _did he do that? He told me it was an experiment! An experiment for what? As if my life wasn't complicated enough as it is..."

"What are you thinking?" Tracey asked, sitting on her bed and watching Daphne intently. When she didn't reply immediately, she threw her shoe at her. "No sleeping for another 30 minutes!"

"I wasn't sleeping!" Daphne whined. "I was _trying _to think, but my head is throbbing!" she sighed and pressed her fingers to her temples as she tried to stop the pain. "I don't know what to think! He's one of my best friends! I don't know if I could think of him the same way if he was just _experimenting _with me randomly!"

"Don't worry about it then." Tracey said soothingly. "If Theodore is experimenting, be thankful it's not with Millicent or something."

"Oh God, why did you give me that mental image?!" Daphne cringed, covering her eyes at the thought.

"Night Daphne. Get some sleep." Tracey chuckled, putting out the light in the room.

"But you said I couldn't for half an hour." Daphne said quietly, her eyes already closing at the newly dark room.

"I won't tell if you don't." Tracey reassured from her bed. Then, all sound around Daphne began to fade away, and she drifted off into a well-needed, undisturbed sleep.

Except she dreamt of Theodore. He was running towards her in a dark hallway, hexing someone out of his way. He shouted something to her, but she couldn't hear him. She wasn't sure why, but she felt so helpless and restrained, and as Theodore ran nearer to her, she felt like time was running out. He wasn't going to make it. Whatever he was trying to save her from, it was going to win. When she saw the expression on Theodore's face, she knew something horrible was about to happen. A loud scream filled her ears, and she was dying.

Daphne jolted awake, sitting up in a cold sweat. The room was still dark, and she could hear Tracey's breathing as she slept heavily. Putting her hand up to her own throat, Daphne felt her racing pulse. She hadn't had a nightmare in years, and this one was so vague that she found it frightening. As she slowed her breathing, she felt her headache coming back; with a frustrated groan, she flopped back down into her bed. She was now almost afraid of falling asleep, but knew she needed it.  
_It was only a dream Daphne... just a stupid dream._

**_AN: .... DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA!!  
I love Drama! Almost as much as I love reviews!! HEHE!!  
Next chapter I get to write a scene I have been SOOO excited to write!! Can't wait!!  
Leave me some love :)_**


	18. Year 6 Part 4

**_AN: Going to be honest.... I was a little disappointed with the lack of reviews I got last chapter. In case you haven't noticed, I write much faster when I get reviews. It motivates me to work faster. So if you really want me to update quickly, then just drop me a quick little review, and you'll be surprised how fast the next update will be up :)_**

**_In other news, the rights to Harry Potter are on my Christmas list.... but until Santa drops a big contract down my chimney, I still don't own Harry Potter. JKR does.... for now (jokes guys... haha)_**

"Tables have turned, I see." Tracey remarked one morning after school has resumed as they both walked down the treacherous icy path to deliver some mail to their owls. Daphne looked at her quizzically, waiting for the detailed explanation that would follow. "Now you're avoiding _Theodore_. Are you telling me that his kiss was really _that _bad?"

"What?! How do you-" she shook her head slightly in confusion "No, it's not _that!_ It was... alright..." Tracey at this point burst out laughing "Well, what can I say!? I mean, I _love_ him to death, but _as a friend_! I think that if I'm not around him as often, the temptation will wear off!"

"Oh, I doubt that." Tracey laughed, and then put her hand over her mouth to stop from saying anything else. Daphne looked at her for a few moments, then shook her head.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're just playing some game with me." Daphne grumbled, speeding up her walk as Tracey continued to stifle her laugh.

"Aww, don't be like that Daphne!" Tracey giggled, running and grabbing her arm to stop her. "I'm not the only one who keeps secrets." She pointed out, her eyes telling Daphne that she knew something. "I saw you and Draco in the common room on New Year's eve." She smirked. Daphne looked away for a moment; _Of course she saw! How could anyone not!?_ She scolded herself. "Well, more like I saw you lovely red head looking dangerously close to Draco's. I mean, if I'm wrong, please tell me."

"You're not wrong." Daphne sighed. Tracey's smile was so big that Daphne would have thought it was her who had made out with him. "But we're at an impasse."

"English please. Not all of our mother's are French." Tracey giggled lightly. Daphne sniffed a quick laugh at her remark as well.

"Beauxbaton did nothing for your mother?" Daphne teased first "It means a stand-off. We can't go anywhere." she looked back at the castle for a moment, making sure no one was following them, then turned back "So long as he's dating Pansy, I won't see him. And he won't stop dating Pansy."

"Well, it looked like you two were working out your problems the other night." Tracey smirked.

"Yes, well that was the _last_ time." Daphne lied. She knew that she had to convince Tracey that it was; if anything more _did_ happen between her and Draco, then Daphne didn't want Tracey knowing about it. _Pansy is sure to ask her if something's going on, and although I trust Tracey, she might be persuaded by threats or bribes.  
_  
"Well, that's depressing isn't?" Tracey pouted dramatically "It's not too late to kill Pansy. We could make Theodore do it."

"As tempting as that is, I'd rather not go to Azkaban right now, thank-you." Daphne sniffed a quick laugh "And you shouldn't be encouraging me like that! I could take you with me if I really wanted."

"Oh! And then you, Theodore, and I could share a cell! Cool!" Tracey exclaimed before they both burst out laughing.

Despite what Daphne tried to deny, Tracey was right; she had switched over from avoiding Draco to avoiding Theodore. And although she didn't mean to do it, and her feelings hadn't changed for him (in either direction), Daphne just didn't know what to say to Theodore. The awkwardness that she felt drove her away, and as bad as she felt for it, it was better than sitting in pregnant silence with him. So for a grand total of 2 months, Daphne and Theodore didn't have a private, one-on-one conversation.

And despite everything Draco said to her, Daphne had yet to see much change in behaviour between her and Draco. The only thing that they did do now was what Tracey referred to as 'Eye-shagging.'  
"Honestly, the way you two stare at each other, even I feel like I'm intruding on some private moment." Tracey teased her one night at dinner after Daphne had finished staring at him for about a minute with uninterrupted eye contact. Tracey called it 'Eye-shagging' because of the expression they had on their faces, and just the way they looked at each other. "It's pretty obvious to anyone watching what's going through your minds." Tracey added under her breath.

"I doubt it Tracey; no one else except you ever seems to notice." Daphne remarked with a satisfied smirk on her face as she reached past her and grabbed some chicken.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Tracey remarked smartly, nodding her head down the table. Daphne rolled her eyes and looked up, expecting to see her sister watching, or maybe Theodore. Instead, she was met with a stare that only a basilisk could rival; Pansy was not amused.

"Uh oh." Daphne mumbled as she tried to turn back as casually as possible. She could feel the back of her head burning as Pansy and her eyes alight with fury glared at her still.

"Uh oh is right. Might I suggest you stop doing that at dinner?" Tracey remarked lightly. Daphne nodded her head and continued to eat, very careful to avoid Pansy's eye again for the rest of the evening.

Avoiding her gaze was one thing; avoiding _Pansy_ was another story. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle disappeared right after dinner to go do whatever they were doing. Tracey had also left with Theodore, who was whispering something apparently important in her ear as he dragged her off. Now Daphne was alone as her best friends shuffled quickly ahead of her.  
_I really don't understand what's going on between them..._ Daphne thought as she continued to walk slow.  
"Daphne." A voice barked behind her. Daphne slowed to a stop, sighed in annoyance, and turned around lazily.

"Yes?" she inquired, apparently more daring than Pansy expected.

"I want to talk to you." Pansy said stiffly as she closed the gap between them.

"Obviously." Daphne remarked smartly. _I am so sick of her! I wish she would just catch the hint and break up with him already!_ She thought bitterly, her face reflecting her annoyance. Pansy instantly caught on to her expression, and her face slowly evolved into fury.

"I saw what you were doing at dinner, and I just want to let you know that if I ever see you do it again, I will destroy you." She said, now standing right in front of her, her body positioned defiantly against her. Daphne looked back at her with hard eyes, but she did not have an expression of anger, but of smug victory.

"Worried you're losing him Pansy?" she remarked in a low tone.

"There's _nothing _to worry about! He will never be yours." Pansy sneered.  
Daphne only chuckled lightly and revealed in watching Pansy's face grow more twisted with anger. "Then why are you threatening me?"

In one shift motion, Daphne felt a force ram her back against the stone wall. When she got over the initial shock of being shoved, she refocused on her apparent opponent.  
"You and I both know that I hold the power to ruin your life. And don't for a moment think that I won't do it if I catch you near Draco again."

"A little dramatic Pansy." Daphne remarked in a level tone as she pushed herself off the wall. "Telling me I can't speak to one of my friends, who I've known since we were children?"

"Liar!" Pansy shot instantly "You never met him before Hogwarts."

Daphne smirked a little "Wow, you must _really _be worried about me to go snooping around to that detail."

She felt the wall hit her in the back again. This time Daphne felt her temper starting to take over, and she pushed off the wall again, now standing only inches away from Pansy.  
"I'm warning you Greengrass; keep away from him, or you'll regret it." Pansy growled through grinding teeth.

Daphne couldn't resist now, and her rage didn't help. "Pansy, when are you going to catch on? If you can't keep him happy, then give it up! It's not like he wants you anymore anyways."

This time, Daphne saw Pansy coming towards her, her hands held out like she was going to wring her neck. And this time, Daphne acted first, pushing her back away from her before she could reach her. But Pansy was faster than Daphne expected, and once again she felt the hard stone wall slam against her back. Before either of them realized it, the fight had escalated into a full on brawl. Daphne got hit in the eye by one of Pansy's flailing fists, while Daphne managed to scratch Pansy's neck with her long fingernails. They pulled on each other's hair and called the other every name they could think of.

The fight continued for only a minute or so longer, and then they heard the shrill shouts of McGonagall, walking briskly towards them.  
"Girls! That's enough! Stop it!" she ordered them as she raced forward to the fight. Before Pansy and Daphne even realized what was happening, they felt themselves launched off each other and pinned to opposite sides of the hallway. "Surely I don't need to explain to you both the importance of acting _like ladies!_ "she scolded. Pansy and Daphne glared at each other, neither of them really listening as they attempted to pull themselves off the wall. McGonagall was frustrated by them not listening and jinxed their heads so that they faced her and not each other. "Regardless of your gender, fighting within the walls of Hogwarts is _strictly_ forbidden. You will both come with me to your head of house-"

"WHAT!" Daphne and Pansy yelled in unison. McGonagall narrowed her eyes at being interrupted, but continued with her sentencing

"-_And_ you will serve detention for whatever length of time he sees fit!" she added sharply before she released them from her magic binds. "If either of you lay a finger on each other on the way, I will have you expelled." She threatened, pointing her wants at both of them before she started towards the dungeons on Hogwarts.

While McGonagall was knocking on the door, Daphne exchanged a very quick glance at Pansy, and saw that although she put on the air of being confident (evident by the glare she gave Daphne), she was nervous about being punished; prefects weren't supposed to be caught in a brawl in the hallways.  
"Enter." Professor Snape called from the other side of the door. McGonagall opened the door and stepped in, then held her arm out behind her, presenting Daphne and Pansy.

"I found two of your students fighting in the hallways after dinner." She said stiffly. "I thought it would only be appropriate that you decide how to punish them, since one of them is one of Slytherin's prefects."

Snape looked at them with slight annoyance as he had to leave his work momentarily. He looked at the two girls for a moment each, and then stood from his chair and came around to the front of his desk, now standing in between them "Should I even bother asking why you were fighting?"

Daphne and Pansy exchanged quick looks at each other, as if to see if the other dared to accuse them of something. And as Daphne half-expected, Pansy was the first to cry out a defence. "She started it! She was flirting with MY boyfriend _right_ in front of me!"

"I was not! Why can't I look at one of my oldest friends without this _cow_ accusing me of trying to steal him!" Daphne shot back,.

"Excuse me! How dare you call-"

"Quiet." Snape said in a low and clearly frustrated voice. He looked past them at McGonagall, who had an 'I-told-you-so' expression on her old haggard face. "I will deal with them now; thank you, Professor McGonagall." He said in the same tone of voice. She gave him an odd look, and then nodded her head curtly and left his office, closing the door behind her. "Now, surely I don't need to explain to either of you how foolish you both sound." He said as he swooped past them and sat back in his chair, returning to whatever he was working on. "And I assure you both that Draco has plenty to worry about without the two of you fighting over him." He said without even looking up. "So I suggest you get over your little fancy's and cat fights, and return to your own studies." The two girls stood there in confusion, glancing at each other momentarily. "You may leave now." He added, once again not even looking up.

Daphne didn't wait for him to say it again or change his mind. She turned on her heel and strode out of his office, letting the door slam back on Pansy. She walked with a quickened pace down the damp hallway that led to the common room, thinking of how she was going to get Tracey away from Theodore so she could tell her. Unfortunately, as she stepped into the common room, Draco was sitting in the closest chair to the door, apparently deep in thought.  
"Draco!" she couldn't stop herself from calling his name. He looked up suddenly like he had been startled.

"Where were you?" he asked, his voice hoarse for some reason. Daphne ran forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him out of the chair.

"Quick, follow me!" she whispered frantically as she tugged him towards the stairs to the boy's dorms.

"Where are we going? You can't just barge into _my_ dorm, you know." He asked, his tone indignant at her behaviour "Why not just tell me what's happening here?" he asked as they rounded the last flight to the 6th year's room. She opened the door and pushed Draco in first.

"Can I come in?" Daphne breathed. Draco opened the door and stared at her with one cocked eyebrow.

"Uh, I suppose so. I mean, you did drag me all this way." He mumbled in frustration. "What the hell is going on, Daphne?"

She didn't respond immediately. Instead, she locked the door and pushed him to the far side of the room away from the door. "Your crazy girlfriend just attacked me in the hallways!" she hissed "I'm sick of waiting Draco! When are you going to keep your promise and be rid of her!?"

Draco stared at her with his very cold, very soulless eyes for a moment before he finally managed a response. "Does it_ look_ like I can deal with this right now?" he growled angrily. Daphne was taken aback for a moment by the rage in his voice, and stepped back away from him, tripping onto one of the beds. "To be quite frank, I wish I didn't have to worry about _either _of you right now." He added bitterly, looking around the empty dorm for some sort of distraction. Daphne felt his words strike her deep, but she said nothing. "I told you what I have to do! Did you miss the part when I said _he will kill me and my family if I fail!?_" Draco shouted, clearly frustrated at his own words. "I haven't time to think, to sleep; how can I have time for you too?"

"I told you I would help you." Daphne replied quietly.

"HOW!" he shouted again, putting his hands against his head like he was trying to force his head off. Daphne found she couldn't even breathe; she had never seen anyone, let alone Draco, this disturbed, this upset, or this afraid. "If you have some _fantastic_ talent that will make Death Eaters magically appear beside you, then by all means share! Other than that, I'm not sure how you can help me!"

There was silence between them. Draco sat down on a bed, his head still in his hands as he tried to control himself. Daphne was still frozen on the bed she fell onto, unable to move as she watched him, her eyes filling with tears at the sight of his breakdown. _He's got a point. I can't help him! And time is running out! Soon it will be June, and if he hasn't found a way- _She shook her head furiously as she forced the thoughts of Draco dead out of her mind. Her heart instantly felt like it had been stomped on, and she focused on anything but that horrible picture.  
"So that's it then?" she asked quietly, her tone empty of any emotion because she couldn't figure out which emotion to put behind her own words.

Draco did not look up from the floor he was staring at. "Yeah, that's it."

"Alright then." Daphne breathed a moment later. Draco looked up, his eyes watery as well. Daphne would have started weeping for him then and there if she had not gripped her hands so tight into a ball, forcing her to concentrate. "I'll just keep waiting." She sighed, standing up from the bed and discretely wiping her eyes. _I've come too far... gained too much ground to give up because of Pansy's temper_ she assured herself. She started towards the door, but paused as she passed Draco. "But my offer still stands." She said reassuringly. He looked up momentarily at her, then back down to the floor. "If there is anything that you think... that you _know_ I can help you with, I'll do it." She told him. She outstretched her hand to put it on his shoulder, but she froze only an inch away. _If I touch him now, I'll never be able to let him go. _She told herself, and she slowly pulled her hand away. Then without another word, she exited the dorm, and returned to her own.

As Daphne more or less expected, when she got back to her dorm, her stuff was thrown all over the room; her uniforms had ink stains the size of giant spiders; her bedding was torn into shreds, and there were piles of feathers laying all over her section of the room. Daphne gave an exasperated sigh and glared over at the culprit, who was humming to herself as she wrote out something.  
"Very mature Pansy." Daphne sneered as she stormed over to the pile of debris that was formally her bed.

"That's only the beginning Greengrass." She said in a sing song voice. When Daphne looked over her shoulder at her, Pansy had looked up from her writing and was glaring at her with eyes that could only be rivalled by Voldermort himself. "Get used to it."  
They stared at each other for a moment, and then Pansy smirked and turned back to her work, still humming contently to herself. Daphne shook her head and turned back to the mess before her, pulling out her wand as she began to attempt to clean it up.

By the time March 1st rolled around, Daphne had to clean her room in the same manner 6 more times. Every time Pansy caught Daphne even looking at Draco the wrong way, she could expect to come back and find her room destroyed. Tracey remarked that perhaps if she spent more time away from Pansy, she wouldn't be as bitter and spiteful. So, in order to act on her best friend's advice, she took to studying in the common room. As she tried to write her Defence Against the Dark Arts essay, she was consistently interrupted by several groups of students gossiping around them. One group of 4th years was laughing hysterically about the Gryffindor Keeper Weasley apparently was poisoned today, and was currently sitting in the hospital wing unconscious.  
_Why am I not surprised. _Daphne thought as she furiously scratched out a spelling mistake she made while half-listening to the daily gossip. She also heard that her sister had finally broken up with the 7th year she had been dating for some time now; the same one she had been snogging at New Years. Although Astoria was still a notorious flirt, she was starting to get a little sense in her; she was only dating people from Slytherin now, and she was dating them for longer periods of time. _Doesn't make a difference if she still graduates with a record to rival Blaise's mother, _Daphne thought as she yawned, propping her head on her fist as she tried to re-read her own words. She'd been at this paper for 3 hours now, and it was due in less than 12. Despite her confidence in her writing skills, she wasn't sure if she could come up with 15 monumental moments in which vampires have proven as worthy allies; so far, she had 4. _Only Snape would come up with such a ridiculous assignment and have it due in under 48 hours! _Daphne thought as she smacked herself in the head with her text book.

4 hours later, Daphne had passed out on the couch, having dozed off while editing her first draft. She was well aware in her consciousness that she was sleeping in the common room, but quite frankly didn't care. _I'm only resting my eyes for a little while so I can continue working. _She told herself, although she knew it wasn't true. If she didn't force herself awake soon, she would most likely be here until dawn, and her essay would still be a scribbled mess with dozens of spelling mistakes.  
As her mind cringed at the thought of getting up and working again, she thought she felt something brush against her face. She stirred a little to ward off the sensation, but when it came back again, she knew that she wasn't imagining it. She jolted upright and looked around the room with blurry, unfocused eyes. No one else was in the room. It was now 1:30 in the morning, and the fire had long since died out. The room was now cold and dark, and she felt a chill of fear run through her.  
"Glad to see you're working hard." Remarked a smooth voice from behind her. Daphne turned so quickly on her seat that she almost fell off the couch. She sighed with vast relief when she saw that it was only Draco, sitting in one of the armchairs, twirling her quill in his fingers.

"I'm going to assume that was you brushing my face." Daphne mumbled, smiling very slightly.

"Very perceptive Daphne." He smirked, still twirling her quill lazily. "I need your help with something." He said matter-of-factly, putting her quill down on the table beside him and looking at her intently. "Care to follow me?" he said, standing from the chair and holding his hand out towards her. Daphne looked at it nervously, then grabbed hold of it, and let him lead her out of the common room.

When he stopped outside of what appeared to be a blank wall, she thought he might be going slightly mad. But then a door started to appear before them, and he stepped forward to open it. Daphne followed shortly after and was surprised by what she saw. It was a low ceilinged, dark room with windows that overlooked the Black Lake and the Dark Forest. What was most striking to her was the lack of furniture in the room; the only thing in the room was a square flat couch in the centre on the floor, covered with a black velvet blanket and throw pillows to match.  
"What is this place?" she asked, taking a couple more steps into the room, walking over towards the window so she could check out the view.

"Room of Requirement. Found it after Potter and his stupid friends were using it to practice magic last year." Draco replied absently as he threw his robe on the floor and loosened his tie.

"Interesting." She said, looking around at how cramped the space would be for multiple people to be practicing defensive spells, but she shrugged and figured she should take his word for it. "So I'm not sure what use I'll be to you without my charms notes, but I'll see what I can do. What do you need help with?" she asked cheerily, turning towards him with a confident smile on her face. She had assumed that he needed help with some charms, since it was the only subject she excelled at in school.

"When I asked you to help me, you said you'd do anything." He started slowly as he crossed the room to stand beside her.

"And I meant it. Just tell me what you need." Daphne reassured him.  
Draco nodded slowly and started to walk around behind her. She wondered what he was doing, but a moment later she felt his arms snake around her waist, causing her to nearly pass out. Her heart started to race at their first physical contact in months; she had almost forgotten what it felt like. He moved aside her hair so he could whisper something in her ear. Daphne closed her eyes, almost sure that this was a fantasy, and not reality. Perhaps she was still dreaming? "I need relief." He whispered in her ear, his tone sounding so seductive that she barely understood what he said.

"Relief from what?" she replied in her own quiet voice, her eyes still closed as she felt his body pressed so close to hers.

"Relief from everything; from school, from my family, from the Dark Lord." He said in the same tone, his arms pulling her closer yet in a tight embrace. She felt his lips practically on her ear as he spoke; her legs felt weak, and she tried so hard to concentrate on not collapsing. "I need to feel like I did before. I want power, respect, success." Daphne was barely listening to what he was saying. His scent was drowning her thoughts to the point that she barely noticed what he was doing. It was only she felt a small tug on her shirt 3 times in a row did she realise he was unbuttoning her blouse. Right as she was about to say something to him, he added another layer of his spell. "And I need it from you." He whispered, his lips right against her ear. Then he started to kiss her neck lightly, still unbuttoning her shirt.  
_  
Relief? From me? What could that mean? _She thought, her eyes still closed, smiling to herself as she revelled in her fantasy world.

Then it finally hit her. Her eyes flew open and took another look at the couch in the center of the room. It wasn't a couch; it was a bed. Daphne took in a sharp breath and turned out of Draco's grasp, but he caught her arm and pulled her back to him. Now they stood face to face, and he watched her with eyes that burned with longing. Daphne found her mind flying into overdrive; she couldn't breathe, couldn't think, and couldn't decide!  
"Draco, you cannot ask me to do this." She whispered, her eyes reflecting her nerves that were starting to send waves of shivers through her. "Please don't ask me for this."

"You said anything Daphne." Draco reminded her, his voice still so smooth that her common sense literally was screaming in her head to get her attention.

"I meant _magic_-wise" she managed, her voice cracking and her whole body shaking ever-so-lightly. She tried desperately to look away from him, but found that she couldn't; she was the victim of a type of magic that Hogwarts didn't teach her to defend herself against.

"Trust me; this is going to be like magic." He smirked before he leaned in a kissed her on the lips, causing an electrocution of sparks to fly through her system. She kissed him back, despite her mind trying to wrench her away from his embrace. Her instincts were much stronger than her common sense now. When he released her a minute later from his kiss, she felt some of the magic fade away, and she was able to think straight again.

"_Please_ don't make me do this." She breathed, looking deep into his grey eyes. Draco only smiled and resumed undressing her. Daphne stood frozen in place, her body not cooperating with his touch, but not stopping him either.

"I'm not forcing you to do anything." He smirked as he took off her school robe and tossed it aside. Now she stood in her skirt and a half un-done shirt, her eyes not daring to look down at what he was doing. "I know as well as you do that _you_ want this." He whispered as he leaned in to kiss her again. The same wave of memorization hit her again, and all the objecting thoughts were once more drowned out of her mind. When she felt her shirt completely open and Draco's cool hands touched her ribs, she broke away from his kiss once more.

"I don't think I can do this." She mumbled, looking down at the ground as she tried desperately to think of some excuse. Draco sighed, but not out of annoyance, but more like pity. "I-I just didn't picture it this way." She explained, still facing the floor. "I always thought this would happen after we were dating... when I was sure I had you all to myself."

"If you're worried about Pansy, she never lets me get this far." He whispered as he gently turned her face back to face him. "And you do have me to yourself. I don't want anyone but you." He said, before he kissed her forehead gently and stroked her bare sides and ribs with his surprisingly smooth hands. "You need to understand that I need this, Daphne." He added, his tone now a little less gentle, and now more serious. "I can't stop thinking about it, and I need my mind to focus on one and only thing." He paused, flashing Daphne a reassuring smile. "I wish you could be the one and only thing to occupy my mind... I would enjoy it much more if it was" Daphne felt her face turn a light shade of scarlet at his flattery. "But I need to think about how I'm going to complete this task so I can live to have you."

"So you're saying that you need to relieve your mind from the very thought of me in order to think?" Daphne said quietly, more or less repeating it to herself. "Won't doing _this_ just make it worse?"

"I don't know. I think it's more the curiosity that has me going mad." He kissed her neck slowly as he spoke "Torturing me with the very sight of you, and knowing that I can't have you."

"You can have me if you would just dump-"

"Don't mention her name right now." Draco whispered almost sharply. "Just tell me if you're going to help me or not." He said, now holding her hips in his hands and looking dead into her green eyes with his cold, tired grey eyes.

As Daphne weighed her options in her mind, his eyes just kept filling her thoughts. He really did look awful, like he hadn't slept in weeks. He was so thin now as well, and Daphne was desperate to make him healthy and safe again. _He says this is what's holding him back._ She told herself _He says he can't stop thinking about me, and his life depends on him being able to think. I can't live with that weight on my mind! That if he fails, I may have caused it! _There was silence in her head for a second, and then the counter argument kicked in; _What if he's just saying this? It's not like it's unheard of for a guy to say whatever he needs to in order to get... this. But he seems to be genuine and true! And he promised to leave Pansy as soon as his family is back to power._ Her mind was frozen again as she tried to come up with a final answer.

After about a minute of staring at each other, Daphne finally closed her eyes and sighed in defeat. _He's right. It's what you've always wanted. And it may not be the way you wanted, but if he dies, you may never get another chance. _She finally decided. Draco smiled and tipped her face up to him and kissed her again. The flood of emotions and physical responses took over, and Daphne let herself be swept away by it all...

**_AN: Dun dun dun! Hahaha jokes._**

So one more chapter for this year... then we have 7th year, and then I get to return to present tense for the last 3 or 4 chapters (it could be more... I haven't decided how long I'm going to make the last chapters)

So remember what I said at the start of this chapter!! Reviews make me work faster!! So if you liked this chapter (and the last one too), and you want to see where this crazy train known as Daphne Greengrass is going to go next, then let me know!!

Also, I know I said my goal was to have this finished by the time Twilight comes out on November 21st. Well... it's obviously not going to happen! I'm far too busy with school! Not to mention I'll probably be re-inspired to update/finish my Twilight fic... but that won't take too long. ANYWAYS! This fic will FOR SURE be done by the end of the year!! I will be slightly sad when it is, but maybe I'll write a fanfic from Pansy's point of view? (Not likely. In case you haven't noticed, I hate Pansy.)

Wow, this a long authors note! The point of this rambling is REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW LIKE IT WILL SAVE YOUR LIVES!! And speaking of saving your lives, I HOPE YOU ALL READERS FROM THE USA TAKE THE TIME TO VOTE TODAY! Even though I don't live in the USA, I certainly live within throwing distnace of it (literally), and I hope I don't have to tell you all how the fate of the United States effects the entire world! So GET OUT THERE AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!!


	19. Year 6 Part 5

**_AN: Alright, so this was a nice, quick update. Hope you enjoy it. It marks the end of 6th year... and what a long year it has been!_**

Keep the reviews coming, Si Vous Plez!!

Despite her disappearance for the night, which extended well into the morning, no one seemed to notice that Daphne never came up to her dorm to sleep the night before. Not even Tracey, who Daphne had expected to be waiting for her with eager questions at breakfast. Instead, Tracey remarked on how atrocious the eggs tasted this morning.  
_No one's figured it out? _She thought, her own thoughts sounded mildly shocked. Although Daphne didn't want the repercussions of having the secret known, she felt like standing on top of the table and shouting 'I SLEPT WITH DRACO MALFOY!' at the top of her lungs.

Her heart was ecstatic.  
The other parts of her body, not so much.

Her body itself was sore, and she found it hard to sit on the hard benches or walk anything faster than a leisurely stroll. _Had I known sex would be this painful, I would have never agreed to it... _Daphne thought as she stirred her oatmeal a little with her spoon. _I can't deny it was fun, but God do I hurt...and everywhere too!_ She looked up and was blinded by the bright morning sun shining through the window. Having only gotten about 4 hours total of sleep, she winced and shielded her eyes from the burning light.  
"Tired this morning?" Tracey remarked, moving over half a foot so that Daphne could move into her space , out of the sunlight's reach.  
_  
At last someone notices. _She thought grumpily. She wanted Tracey to know; she wanted her to ask about it so she could _talk_ about it to someone! This could very well be the biggest thing that had ever happened to her, and she was sworn to secrecy. Draco had made sure of it when they woke up only half an hour ago; he made her swear not to tell anyone, since if Pansy found out, they would both suffer greatly. _No, I must not tell Tracey. Pansy will go to her first if she suspects anything... and her methods of extraction are not known to be gentle.  
_Now that she was no longer being blinded by the sun, she could see her other housemates much clearer. Theodore was grumbling something to Blaise, who was struggling to hear him over Crabbe and Goyle's imbecilic laughter over something Millicent said. And then, like a knife to her heart, Daphne saw Draco and Pansy, cuddled up close to each other as Pansy ate strawberries and Draco read the Prophet. _Like a happy couple... like a bloody happy MARRIED couple. _Daphne thought as she ground her teeth and gripped her spoon hard enough that she may bend it. The fact that she had been in love with him for years now no longer mattered; now her goal was to keep what she had rightfully won. She would be damned before she let Pansy walk away with the grand prize of the competition, and Daphne would be left with a broken heart and sore body.  
_Never. I know what I want. I've had a taste of it. And you will NEVER keep him. You just wait Pansy... you just wait.  
_  
"And a little grumpy too, I dare say." Tracey added, noting her best friend's glare of contempt. "What's the matter with you this morning?"

Daphne glared at them for a moment longer until Draco looked up from the paper and caught her eye for a mere second; Daphne instantly looked away and back to her oatmeal. "Nothing. I'm just tired. And sore; those couches are horrible things to sleep on." She said in a flat tone.

"Hence why they give us beds to sleep in." Tracey teased lightly. "Well, if I hadn't been so tired from trying to learn Transfiguration all last week, I might have noticed your absence and went and got you." She smiled, nudging Daphne lightly in the side, which made her cringe and hiss lightly in pain; she had no idea how an activity that brought apparent joy to every other couple in the world could give her so much pain! "Don't worry; next time I'll be more diligent." She promised. Daphne only nodded her head in response.

Daphne made the conscious effort to avoid any one-on-one contact with anyone in order to steer herself away from the temptation to talk. She wanted to badly to tell someone... anyone! She wanted to brag, cry, scream, and overall feel supported by _someone_. But if she told someone, then she risked being hexed, or worse cursed, by a very angry roommate.  
_If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have to hide all of this... in fact, I wouldn't have to hide anything because he would be _my _boyfriend! _Daphne thought bitterly as she etched her notes in the common room a few weeks later. Exams were coming, and the last thing she needed was to risk having her fingers paralyzed or having her lips sewn shut by Pansy. But at the same time, Daphne had the urge to act violently towards her. Every time she saw Pansy, she remembered the fight they had over a month ago, and she felt her temper rise.

"Jealousy is a hideous and violent monster, Daphne." Tracey said in a sing-song voice to her as Pansy passed them without acknowledgement. Daphne gave Tracey a dark glare and continued to write out her exam notes. "Might I suggest finding a first year to take out your anger on? Or perhaps you sister would volunteer?" Daphne sniffed a quick laugh at this, but still held an expression of repressed rage. "I suppose you could both just act civilly for another year at least, but then again, now that you let the secret out, she's going to be convinced that you're the one he's seeing on the side." Tracey remarked lightly as she scratched something out in her notes. Daphne looked up from her own writing and stared at her friend, every ounce of her strength fighting to keep her secret silent.  
_  
If only you knew Tracey... Damn it, I want to tell her so bad! She'd know what to do! But I can't say anything! Oh, curse Draco for getting my trapped in this mess! _She thought as she pressed her quill to the page so hard that the tip snapped off, sending a splatter of ink on the page. She groaned in frustration and yanked her bag up onto the chair beside her and dug around for a new quill. When she finally found one and turned back to her work, there was a small paper bird fluttering in front of her. It flew around in a gentle circle around her head, and then landed on her work and ceased to move. Hesitantly, Daphne scanned the room for someone who would send the note, then picked up the origami bird and opened it slowly.  
_  
Tonight. Same place, same time.  
Draco  
_  
Daphne looked up, her heart now racing with excitement and surprise. She looked around the room again and once again didn't see him sitting. This time, however, she saw him standing in the doorway leading to the boys dormitories, his grey eyes watching her intently. He nodded his head at the letter she still held in her hand. Daphne looked down and read the last line; _P.s._ _Burn this letter and any letters I send as soon as you've read them. _She looked up at him again and nodded her head slowly. Then she stood from her chair and walked over to the roaring fire in the fireplace. She glanced at the letter once more to make sure she had all the details correct, then tossed the piece of parchment into the flames.

"What was that?" Tracey asked, looking up from her work in time to see her tossing something into the fire. Daphne rounded very quickly and glanced at the entrance to the boys dormitories; Draco was gone.

"Nothing, I just messed up on something." Daphne made up. Tracey nodded her head in understanding and continued to write. Daphne let out a silent sigh of relief and returned to her seat again.

After that night, Draco and Daphne developed a routine of when and how they would see each other. Twice a week, at midnight, whenever Draco wasn't busy trying to figure out how to complete his task (which the deadline was drawing very near), they would meet in the common room and sneak out to the room of requirement (which was different every time, depending on Draco's mood). Daphne became increasingly more comfortable with the entire situation each time. Not only did she no longer feel the physical discomfort she did the first couple of times, but she now had as smooth of an attitude as he did. She still felt the urge to tell anyone and everyone how fantastic and special she felt for sleeping with Draco numerous times, but now she saved all the passion for him.

They also no longer stayed the entire night in the room. Usually Draco had to go off and plan some things, or he had a Quidditch game the next day that he needed to wake up early for. Daphne would normally walk back to the common room alone, armed with a note from Draco himself (as a Prefect last year) that stated that she had a bad case of sleep walking or something; it was a free pass to whoever might stop her and question why she was out so late.  
"Sometimes I wonder how you can operate with so little sleep." Daphne pointed out once as they redressed themselves. Draco sniffed a quick laugh to himself and smiled.

"It's paid off, that's for sure" he said proudly. "I've finally figured out a way!"

"Really!? Oh Draco, that's fantastic!" Daphne smiled as she pulled her shirt on began to button it up. "What did you figure out? If you don't mind me asking." She asked, a small smile on her face but eyes wide with joy; so he wouldn't be killed for failure.

"You'll hear all about it once it's done." He said, smirking a little as he did up the buttons on his shirt. Daphne smiled a little more and then looked down the finish up her buttons. She paused and held her arms out; the sleeves were far too baggy for her.

"I think this is yours." She giggled.

"I agree." He said, struggling to get a button closed on a shirt that was far too small for him. They both laughed lightly for a moment, then removed the shirts. Daphne tossed hers over to Draco, who caught in and hung it over his shoulder as he struggled to get the buttons undone again.

"Here, let me help." She smiled as she crossed the space that separated them and began to fiddle with the buttons, taking extra time to touch his smooth skin when she had the chance. Once the shirt was open again, she slid it off his him slowly, smiling at him all the while she did.

"I have a question for you." He teased, taking his arm and wrapping it around her waist, bringing her closer to him. "How does this," he said, holding up the sleeve of her reclaimed shirt "Fit around _those_?" he smirked, his eyes drawing unneeded attention to her chest. Daphne couldn't help but laugh and blush as she pulled her shirt on and started to button it up as he watched, still holding her with one arm around her waist.

"Magic, Draco." She smirked. Draco chuckled quietly, leaned down and gave her a kiss goodbye. Then he released her from his hold and dashed out the door, still, attempting to pull his clothes on correctly. _I hope no one catches him running down the halls like that... it's bound to require quite the explanation. _She laughed quietly to herself as she finished dressing herself again, and then snuck out of the Room of Requirement and back to the Slytherin house.

Their routine, however, was disrupted shortly after. In the beginning of June, Draco was attacked by Potter in the bathroom one day. Although Snape had certainly saved his face from most injury, there were still faint lines of very light pink in certain areas of his face. Pansy was beside herself for days, swearing vengeance against Potter for what he had done.  
"Does she know they're going to heal?" Daphne pointed out one day as they walked to the Great Hall for dinner. "She seems to think you've been mauled so bad that you look like a troll or something."

"Haven't I?" Draco mumbled, his tone clearly one of contempt for Potter as well.

"Oh, come Draco; no need to be so dramatic!" Daphne soothed gently. "No one can see them anyways unless they're inches away. And how many people do you let get _that_ close to you anyways?" she eluded with a small smirk. Draco frowned and Daphne could for a moment see one of the faint pink lines stand out; she said nothing in an attempt to prove her point. "I think Snape did a good job though. It could have been much worse if he wasn't there to help so fast."

"Yes, I wonder why he was there so quick. He never seems to leave me alone!" Draco muttered, looking cautiously over his shoulder as they rounded the corner into the Great Hall. "Convinced that he can help me in my task." He muttered quietly, more to himself. "Well, pretty soon I will have completed what has been asked of me, and without his help too. He can shove that right up his ass... so can everyone that doubted me." He continued his muttering rant.

"Have you set the date yet?" Daphne whispered, not even daring to look up at the Head table where the potential victim sat.

"Not exactly" he replied quietly as they waved to their housemates (Pansy of course with her arms crossed at the sight of them together) "I'm waiting for the right opportunity. But don't worry Daphne; you'll hear all about my triumphs as soon as they've been completed." He smirked at her, and then turned to Pansy, who was now within earshot. He said something to her, but neither Pansy nor Daphne were listening; they simply glared at each other for a brief moment. But once Daphne passed her and sat beside Tracey a few people down, the tension was gone, and the girls continued to ignore each other's presence.  
_  
I suppose I'll have to clean up another mess on my side of the dorm tonight... _Daphne thought in annoyance, sighing silently at the thought of cleaning her robes again and having to sew her pillows for the 7th time since Christmas.

As the school year was slowly drawing to a close, Daphne felt that she was on edge the entire time. She had yet to 'hear' anything about Draco's triumph, and she was starting to get worried. They were now in their final week of their 6th year, and she was starting to wonder if maybe Draco was lying, and he hadn't figured out a way to get Death Eaters into the school.

Fortunately for Daphne, she was busy enough studying for her exams to not think about this fact every waking moment (which she would have been without another distraction). She and Theodore had also amended their awkwardness recently after Tracey slowly reintegrated him to conversation with her, and the pair of them kept Daphne very occupied as well. That meant the only time that she had free to worry was when she went to bed at night. _That would explain why I haven't slept in days... _she thought one evening as her, Tracey, Theodore, and Blaise all sat in the common room, attempting to practice for their practical Transfiguration exam tomorrow morning. It was now well past midnight, and they were surprised that Snape hadn't been in the common room yet to kick them upstairs to their dorms. As the clock chimed 2:30, they finally knew the answer.

They had all heard a loud bang from somewhere in the castle, and Blaise and Theodore volunteered to go out and see what was going on. They left the common room and didn't return for almost an hour. Daphne was starting to get worried, and her pacing in front of the fire grew faster and faster as her mind raced.  
"What on earth is going on out there?" Daphne mumbled.

"Well, we could go check." Tracey suggested, her tone clearly mocking the obviousness of the solution.

"Theodore told us not to go out there until they came back." Daphne remarked stubbornly.

"And what if they're not in a position_ to_ come back?" Tracey remarked, her tone now reflecting the same fear that Daphne had. "Look, let's just go outside and see what's going on. We won't go far; we just need to find someone who will tell us what's happening."

"Alright, fine." Daphne reluctantly agreed. They picked up their wands and made their way towards the portrait door.

Silently, they snuck out the door and into the dimly lit hallways of the school. They could hear shouts echoing off the stone walls, but none were distinguishable.  
"Tracey, I'm not sure if this is a good idea." Daphne whispered as she drew her wand out of her robes.

"Of course it isn't. You should have thought of telling me that _before_ we left." Tracey remarked sharply, apparently as frightened as Daphne was by whatever they had just gotten themselves into.

There was movement to their left. They both froze and held their wands into the darkness. Daphne swallowed hard and took a shallow breath before she demanded whoever it was to show themselves, not even aware that it could be a teacher or worse.  
"What are you doing out here?" Theodore hissed as he stepped out of the shadows, taking Daphne gently by the arm and leading her back to the common room. Blaise did the same with Tracey.

"What do you mean _me_? Why did _you_ take almost an hour to come back!" Daphne demanded, trying to pull her arm out of his grip, but he was surprisingly strong.

"We'll tell you in a moment; we have to get back into the common room _now_." Blaise said in a low voice from behind her, still dragging Tracey along. Daphne gave up her struggle at his words and walked at the same pace as Theodore, who despite the lack of resistance, still did not let go of her arm until they were through the portrait hole and safe again in the common room. They now stood in a circle in the middle of the room, the girls looking anxiously at the boys, who exchanged quick looks before they started to speak.

"There are Death Eaters in the school." Theodore stated quietly, his eyes darting around the room, clearly making sure that no one else was listening. "And the Dark Mark is above the school."

"What!?" Tracey breathed.

Daphne said nothing. She was concentrating on not crying anything out loud, staring at her shoes to avoid the gaze of the others. _Oh please let him be alright... Please tell me he was successful... Please please please! _She pleaded in her head.

"Yeah, and that's not the strangest part." Blaise added at a less concealed volume. "Apparently _Draco's_ the one that let them in!"

"Are you serious!?" Tracey said, her jaw dropping open in shock.  
_  
Stop beating around the bush and just tell me! Is he dead or not?! _Daphne thought furiously as she tightened her fists into white balls.

"And apparently Dumbledore's..." he paused, and Daphne was sure that her heart was having palpitations; she couldn't breathe as she waited with literal baited breath for the next word. "Dead."

Daphne let out a huge sigh of relief and sank to the floor, first squatting down, then sitting back onto the floor to prevent herself from fainting. "Oh thank God." She breathed quietly. The others, who a moment ago were worried that she had just passed out, were now starring at her with confusion.

"This isn't exactly something that you're supposed to be relieved over." Blaise remarked smartly. Theodore was right beside her, as she expected, looking at her with wide, very confused eyes. Daphne sighed and placed her hand over her chest to make sure her heart was still beating.

"I've known for months." Daphne revealed at last. They all gave each other quick looks, then turned back to Daphne. "I knew all about Draco's task; that he had to get Death Eaters into the school to kill Dumbledore. He told me back in October, and I've been so worried about him..."

"Why didn't he tell us?" Blaise said indignantly "I mean, no offense Daph, but we're his roommates."

"Don't call me Daph." Daphne replied faintly.

"Why didn't he tell _any_ of us?" Theodore remarked, not even looking at Blaise when he spoke.

"If he failed, he and his whole family would be killed." Daphne said quietly, looking over at Theodore, who seemed to instantly understand the steaks that Draco was playing with.

"Still doesn't answer why he didn't tell _us_." Blaise remarked suspiciously. Daphne heard the hidden meaning in his tone and shot him a dark glance to try and put the thought out of his mind.

"He told me because my family has served his for years. He wanted my help because he knew he could trust me." She replied with a tone that had a faint feel of a sharp knife. Tracey and Theodore noticed the ferocity in her voice and gave each other quick glances, but said nothing.

"So why didn't he tell us?" Blaise added again, his eyes still flickering with the allusion he made.

"Blaise, if he told you, the whole school would know." Daphne remarked in a low, monotone voice.

Theodore snickered lightly beside her, and Blaise gave him a sharp look. "What? You know it's true Blaise; don't act so offended." Theodore remarked, holding his hand out to Daphne. She looked at it for a second, then gently took it and allowed her to help her up.

"Where is Draco now?" Daphne asked, a little too much desperation evident in her voice. Theodore looked at her for a moment, then glanced over at Blaise for reassurance.

"From what we heard, he and Snape took off from the grounds." He explained.

"Snape? What was he doing with him?" Daphne asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Apparently saving his ass! The Order of the Phoenix is here now too, and they're trying to pick up the pieces of having their leader killed off, along with the Headmaster of the School." Blaise sniffed a quick laugh.

There was a long pause where no one spoke. In silence, they all stood there, absorbing what Blaise had just said. Daphne couldn't help but feel ecstatic over the news she heard tonight; although Daphne felt the mission Draco was given was far too cruel and difficult, she was overjoyed that he actually completed it!

"So... does this mean that Draco actually killed someone?" Tracey asked quietly, saying her first words in a few minutes. Theodore and Blaise looked at each other, and then Theodore answered slowly.

"Well, we're not sure... no one seems to know _who_ killed Dumbledore right now." Theodore said quietly. "But if he were held up at a Wizengamot court, he wouldn't stand a chance of escaping Azkaban, you can be sure of that."

Daphne felt a sharp chill shoot up from her feet to her head; she had never thought of that! All that she was concerned about was that Draco made it through this year alive; she never thought about the repercussions of what he did would be after! As far as she knew, neither did Draco!

"Well let us hope that no one ever figures it out..." Blaise mumbled, looking at the now visibly whiter Daphne. "I think we should get up to our dorms. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a very long day."

The others all nodded their heads and headed towards their dorms, slowly walking in a daze as they thought about a variety of things. Daphne could only think of Draco, who had now made himself a known fugitive in the wizarding world, running about the country side, trying to hide from the Ministry.  
"_Wait!_" Daphne said loudly as the four of them were about to separate into their respective stairwells. They all froze and turned to look at her, wide-eyed and still pale. "You can't tell _anyone_ what I told you! If anyone finds out that Draco was behind it all, he'll be sure to go to Azkaban!"

"Oh, then he can share a cell with his father..." Blaise mumbled, but everyone still heard it.

"This isn't funny Blaise! I'm being dead serious... emphasis on _dead_!" Daphne threatened, her expression clearly showing him how serious she was.

"Merlin, calm down Daphne. I was only kidding." Blaise remarked sourly. Theodore looked at him this time before Daphne could say anything else.

"Zabini, shut the hell up." Theodore sighed, then looked back at Daphne.

"Do you all agree? You swear on your lives that we not say anything about this. If everyone knows by morning, then there's nothing we can do, but just in case, we pretend like we had no idea what happened." Daphne spoke in a low voice. The other's all nodded her head, including Blaise, who still gave her a dark look of suspicion. "Good." She muttered under her breath, then looked at Tracey. She was tempted to say 'good night' to the boys, but she thought it was rather inappropriate right now. "See you in the morning." she muttered quietly before she turned and continued up the stairs to her dorm.

When Tracey and Daphne entered their dorm, they were surprised to see Millicent and Pansy wide awake. "What's going on!? We've been hearing all sorts of noises, but the water won't let us see what's going on." Pansy asked, her tone desperate and curious. Tracey looked at Daphne, who pursed her lips tight in defiance of speaking.

"Why didn't you get out of bed and go look for yourself?" Tracey mumbled to herself.

"Excuse me?" Pansy asked, apparently a little taken aback by her tone.

"You'll see in the morning. Trust me." Daphne said before Tracey could add anything else, thus ending the conversation. She then crossed the room and collapsed onto her bed, pulled the covers over her head, and tried to go to sleep. The new fear of Draco being imprisoned, or worse killed, for what he had done was flowing through every inch of her, and she felt small shudders that felt like sobs trying to escape ripple through her. She fought them off with one, single bright thought; _Draco's family will be spared, which means he no longer needs Pansy..._ she wiped a single tear from her eye and smiled faintly to herself in the now dark dorm room. Her mind didn't even need to finish the train of thought; she was probably the only person in the school right now that was happy.

Daphne and Astoria were rescued from the funeral by their father, who sent Slughorn a letter saying that he was coming to collect his children. He told him that 'in light of recent events, which are very saddening to hear, my wife and I believe that our daughters should be home and away from the reminders of what happened that terrible night'. So, at 2:30pm, 36 hours after the incident had occurred, Lennox Greengrass walked up the gravel slope of the school and met his waiting daughters. As Daphne expected, Astoria threw herself into a fit of tears and ran into her father's arms, wailing and crying about how awful it all was. Daphne sighed at the scene and turned back to the school, only to see Tracey and Theodore standing by the door watching. Without thinking, Daphne walked back over to them, her face clearly sad to be leaving them here.

"I wish I could bring you both with me." She said genuinely.

"Don't worry about us." Tracey smiled, taking her best friends hand and patting it gently "You just concentrate on taking care of your _poor _grieving sister." She smirked. Daphne and Tracey both giggled at her remark, then hugged each other good bye.

When they let go after a minute or so, Daphne looked at Theodore awkwardly, who was leaning against the stone walls of the school. "Goodbye Theodore..." she said softly, stepping forward and holding her arms out to him. He smiled faintly and stepped away from the wall and hugged her as well, holding her closer than he ever used to. Ever since that night that he had cried in front of her, he had clearly felt much more emotionally attached to her... as clearly evident by the kiss he gave her. Although he had yet to offer an explanation for it, she thought it better not to mention it. "You know where I live if you need me." She whispered quietly as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Daphne." A low voice that sounded like a giant called. She sighed aloud and slowly released Theodore, making a face to him that showed her annoyance.

"Coming Father..." she called flatly. She looked at her best friends again and wished them well one last time before she turned and walked back over towards her father and sister, who were waiting by her trunk.

"Ready to go home and escape all the drama?" Lennox offered half-heartedly to Daphne as he bewitched her trunk to float along behind them as they walked down to Hogsmead.

"Somehow I doubt the drama stops as soon as we walk through the gates of the school..." Daphne muttered, glancing again at Hogwarts. As far as any of the students knew, they might not be returning here next year. And although this thought was the worst nightmare of many of the students, Daphne looked on the bright side of it and smiled to herself as she turned back from the school; if the school was closed, then Pansy could no longer get in her way...

**_AN: Yes, I realize it was very short. I had to wrap up Year 6 so I can MOVE ON at last!!  
Another little note: I have a VERY busy week or two coming up, so I'll try my hardest to update as soon as I can, but no guarentee's my lovelies!! Never fear though; there will be an update!!  
REVIEWWWWWW!!!!!!!!_**


	20. Year 7 Part 1

**_AN: Year 7 at last!! I'm starting with a couple chapters that will take place in the summer, then I'll move into the actual school year, which of course there is very little information on... so it means I get to make a lot of it up!! :)  
Enjoy!!_**

[Year 7]

Unlike the past summers of Daphne's life, the summer in which she turned 17 was by far the most eventful. Every day, there was some new development happening in the world; most were good for her family, but some were setbacks.

The good was when there was a mass breakout at Azkaban, and Lucius Malfoy was now walking free. And despite the doubt that Daphne secretly harvested in her mind, he instantly called on Lennox Greengrass to fill him in on all that had happened since he was imprisoned. He was shocked, yet proud, of his son's accomplishments, but stated that he was weary to the Dark Lord's treatment of his family.

"Remember Lennox, you are loyal to _me_ first. Your family owes _me_ everything, not the Dark Lord. Therefore, you will do what_ I_ say, fight who_ I_ fight, and serve who_ I_ serve." Daphne overheard Lucius telling her father one evening at the beginning of July. He had only been out of prison for a mere 3 nights, and already the world was starting to turn back into what it used to be.

"Lucius, you know you have my eternal loyalty. My entire family lives to serve you." Lennox told his boss. Lucius said nothing, but she could tell by the change of subject shortly after that Malfoy was evidently pleased by his servant's response.  
Daphne, however, felt a chill rush through her; what did he mean by 'my entire family lives you serve you'?  
_  
It's not possible that he could know! Nobody knows about what I did. _Daphne thought nervously. Afraid to be caught eavesdropping, she covered her mouth to prevent her frantic breathing from being overheard from the other side of the door she was listening through, she accidently hit the door knob with her elbow.  
"Who is it?" Lennox barked with his low, rumbling voice. Daphne knew that if she didn't show herself, he would tear the whole house apart looking for whoever could have been there.

"It's only me, father. May I come in?" she asked in a rushed voice. _Why did I ask THAT!? NOW what am I going to say!? _She cursed herself silently.

There was a brief moment of silence, then she could hear the two voices exchanging quiet, muffled words. "Alright, come in Daphne." Lennox agreed reluctantly.

Daphne swallowed her fear and slowly turned the knob, her mind grinding away as she tried to think of something to say. She saw Lucius first, sitting in one of the wing-backed leather chairs of her father's office. She smiled gently and felt the need to speak. "Good evening, Mr. Malfoy." She said gently, her voice barely audible.

"What was it you wanted, Daphne?" Lennox asked in a calm voice; despite his attempt to cover it up, she could tell he was annoyed by her interruption.

"I-I-I wanted to ask you something." She started, trailing off at the end as she tried to think of something, and fast.

"Well? What is it?" Lennox asked impatiently after a moment of waiting.

"Uh..." Daphne started "I was wondering... uh-"

"Daphne, we're very busy; can you please speed this up?" Lennox sighed. Lucius said nothing, but watched on intently.

"May I go visit Theodore?" she blurted out at last. _Theodore!? Why did I say THEODORE!? Why not Tracey, or Draco! Damn it, now I'll need to explain it!  
_  
"Did you see him all year?" Lennox inquired, a very suspicious look on his face. "And last time you saw him outside of school, you ran off to London without our permission."

"I won't do it again, I promise!" she said quickly. "It's just that, uh..." she trailed off and looked at Lucius for a moment, then looked away hastily "Since Mr. Malfoy escaped from Azkaban, I'm assuming that Tobias also did... and I know how much Theodore missed his father over the past year, and I want to go congratulate him." She trailed off and looked at her shoes for a moment as she internally braced herself for whatever lecture or barked order was to come next.

"Why not write him a letter?" Lennox sniffed.

"Letters are not as effective as seeing someone in person." She replied without looking up from staring at her shoes. "And with the mail being checked so often, it wouldn't be safe to reveal where Tobias Nott is hiding out."

"She's very bright, Lennox." Lucius remarked lightly from his chair. Daphne smiled very slightly to herself, but still did not look up. "Miss Greengrass, you will have the opportunity to see all of your school friends soon." He continued. Now Daphne lifted her head and looked at Lucius. He looked so similar to how Daphne imaged Draco would look in 20 or 30 years, it was disturbing. Lucius held eye contact with her for a moment, and then turned to her father. "The Dark Lord is using _my_ house as headquarters now, and he is planning on gathering all the families for a meeting as soon as they capture whoever he is looking for." Lucius said in a sour tone; Daphne remarked in her head that he didn't sound too happy about the arrangement.

"Headquarters? What happened to Avery's place?" Lennox inquired, apparently not expecting this news.

"He's messed up one too many times, and both the Ministry and the Order are starting to suspect that it is indeed our base of operations." Lucius waved his hands lightly as he spoke, then chuckled a little before he continued "As if_ my_ house is any better."

"When did this happen?" Lennox asked, taking a seat in the other wing-backed chair.

"Almost as soon as we were all broken out of prison. He's moved right in and declared _my_ house to be the _new_ headquarters." There was a long silence as they all looked at each other, with Daphne feeling more intrusive than ever. "Of course, I'm pleased to offer my home... I just wish he'd asked first." Lucius added, then stood from the chair. Like good, obedient servants, Daphne and Lennox both instantly stood to be more attentive. "Well, that's what I came to tell you, I suppose. Expect a message from me soon, and bring the entire family; the Dark Lord wants to see _all _his supporters." He told them as he strolled towards the fireplace and picked up some Floo powder. He paused at the edge of the grate and turned back to Lennox. "Remember what we agreed on, Lennox." He reminded him, then stepped into the grate, and with one swift motion, threw down the ashes and disappeared.

Lennox told Daphne to go back up stairs to bed a moment later, and she did willingly. She didn't hear anything about her father's business with the Dark Lord, or anything else about the uprising of the Death Eaters and their associated legions. She was just about ready to settle back into her boring old routine that she had lived with for the past few weeks, when a message came from the Malfoy Manor only days later.  
"Girls, you need to go upstairs and get dressed into something nice." Lennox announced, rushing into the living room where Astoria was clunking on the piano and Daphne was playing with Eris on the floor by the fire.

"What does nice entail?" Daphne asked, standing immediately and brushing the cat hair off her sweater.

"Put it this way," Lennox started smartly "Don't wear that."

"Helpful." Daphne sneered before she walked past him and trudged upstairs. She could hear footsteps running after her, and she had a brief temptation to turn and push her stalker down the stairs.

"Want me to help dress you? Lord knows anything you pick out won't be decent enough!" Astoria teased as she ran past her on the staircase.

"Don't forget to pack your silphium powder! There might be a single 26 year old you can snatch up" Daphne called loudly. As expected, Astoria instantly froze in her tracks and rounded on her sister so fast that she might have apparated to do it.

"How do_ you_ know about that!?" she hissed, grabbing Daphne by her shirt. Despite the fact that they were standing at the top of a flight of stairs, Daphne was not shaken by her sister's antics, and continued to walk forward, yanking her sister's hand off of her.

"Astoria, you should know better than to leave something _that_ important lying about on your desk."

"And what were _you_ doing in _my _room!" she growled, stomping to she was now standing beside Daphne again.

"I was feeding _your_ cat, as requested by mother. You're just damn lucky she didn't do it herself, or you would be going to Beauxbaton in 2 seconds flat where there isn't a boy for 300 miles." Daphne smirked and then started to walk away.

"If you tell mother and father I swear I'll kill you." She threatened. Daphne couldn't help but giggle and she turned around slowly, standing outside her bedroom door.

"Then may I suggest you stay away from me?" she said sweetly "Because I would gladly die if it meant exposing you for what you really are." She paused and glanced at the grandfather clock at the end of the hall that was now chiming 6:30. "And by the way; there is no way you could kill me for exposing you because mother and father would kill _you_ first." She smirked, and then opened her bedroom door and disappeared inside.  
_  
That will teach her to be smart with me. _Daphne thought contently as she pulled a navy blue skirt, navy blue stockings, and a dark green sweater out of her closet. _Classy and reserved. Unlike her. _She remarked silently after she got dressed. Unlike her sister, she knew where they were going, and what was lying before them. _Which reminds me... _she thought, opening her sock drawer and pulling out a pair of school socks and pulled out its contents; a small, red fabric bag filled with a light purple powder. _Unlike my sister, I'm smart enough to hide my silphium. _She smirked to herself as she stuffed in down into her bra.

It hadn't occurred to Daphne until almost the end of the school year that perhaps she should order some of this ancient, yet very affective, ingredient that would make her life a lot easier. What made her do it was when her monthly curse was a week late. All that time, she had walked around the school, with her mind chanting the same tune in her head all day and night; _Am I pregnant? No, I can't be... mind you, I'm not taking anything... Shit... _Needless to say, when she did get her course a few days later, she breathed a deep sigh of relief, and in the same day sent away for a package of silphium. _I'm not going through THAT ever again! _

It certainly wasn't a lesson taught in school, but having two older cousin's who frequently chatted with their friends about all their life troubles, not to mention Tracey whining about her mother constantly lecturing her about the importance of protection, Daphne was not clueless when it came to methods of birth control. Although not popular in the wizarding world, it was not impossible to find. In fact, there was a woman in Greece who made her living off manufacturing Silphium powders and sold them around the world. When you mixed a teaspoon of the purple powder into a drink once a month, you were protected against any offspring; the fact that Astoria needed this made Daphne cringe at the thought of her sister being a mother. Daphne's next drink just so happened to be due tomorrow morning, and the fact that she was going to Draco's house made her extra cautious about what may come.

"Ready to go girls?" Medea called up the stairs. Daphne grabbed her bag off her desk chair that had her wand and some books (just in case), and waltzed out her door, making sure to lock it behind her. She wasn't surprised to see that her sister still hadn't immerged from her room.  
"You'll come with me first, Daphne. We're going to apparate." Lennox said, nodding his head towards his wife "Make sure Astoria doesn't take all night." He grumbled.

Daphne had passed her Apparation test while she was still at Hogwarts last year, but she hadn't gotten a lot of practice since. She swallowed back her fear and stood beside her father, who told her to Apparate onto the front lawn of the Malfoy Manor; the he disappeared with a loud pop. Daphne sighed and closed her eyes as she tried very hard to concentrate on an exact spot to aim for. Once she thought of one, she concentrated harder, and with a loud pop, she instantly felt the cool breeze of the English night. She opened her eyes and found that she was standing exactly where she and Draco had once wrestled in 4th year.  
"Come Daphne," her father called from about 20 meters away "We're late already." He said, starting to walk towards the house.

When they entered the Malfoy Manor through the front door, it was unmistakeable that the atmosphere of the house had changed. The tension was so thick that it filled the air; everyone was walking on eggshells with the Dark Lord present in the house. The owners were nowhere to be seen, as expected, and there were all sorts of strangers rushing past them in the halls.  
"A lot of company, as I expected." Lennox muttered under his breath. There appeared to be a large crowd gathered in the dining room up ahead. Lennox and Daphne were about to enter the open door when a flash of green blinded them momentarily. The entire house seemed to freeze momentarily, and then Lennox peaked into the room, Daphne close behind. There was a dead body on the table, and several Death Eaters standing from their chairs in surprise.

"Dinner, Nagini." The Dark Lord said in a soft voice from the opposite end of the room, sitting at the head of the table. Daphne had never seen the Dark Lord in the flesh, and she instantly felt her whole body run cold like icy water had replaced her blood. He looked like the snake that he kept as a pet, and his eyes were the most frightful things she had ever witnessed.  
_  
No wonder he has hundreds at his command. Who would want to argue with someone who looked like that?! _Daphne thought as she and her father waited at the threshold to be noticed. The Death Eaters all began to settle down again, taking their respective chairs, and from off the floor clambered Draco, who apparently fell out of his chair.

"Ah, Lennox Greengrass." The Dark Lord said lightly as he let his pet snake devour the body on the table. Daphne couldn't see who it was, but she was sure that it wasn't someone well-liked amongst the Dark Lord's followers. "Glad to see you came to join us so hastily." He nodded and then looked over at Lucius, who certainly did not have the same air that he did almost a week ago. "Why is it that your _employee_ is more loyal to me than you are, Lucius?" he quipped.

"My Lord, perhaps it is because I have trained him better than I trained myself." He said quietly, his voice faltering at one point.  
_Trained? Like my father is a dog or something? _Daphne thought bitterly for a moment. Lord Voldermort had a valid point; her father had refused to divulge any information about what happened at the Ministry of Magic over a year ago, and yet he went unrewarded for his stamina.

"And who is this, Greengrass?" Voldermort remarked, a curious smile on his face. Daphne didn't need to make eye contact to know who he was referring to...

"This is my eldest daughter, my Lord; Daphne Greengrass." Lennox said stiffly, like he was reading off a script. The Dark Lord looked at Daphne for a few moments, but she refused to make eye contact with him all the while.

"Eldest? Where is the other one you never speak of?" he remarked casually as he pushed a piece of the now half-eaten body away from him and onto the floor.

"This _is_ the other one." Lennox remarked in a low voice. Daphne, however, read through the lines in his statement; clearly, her father liked to talk about Astoria, and not her.

"Ah, the other Greengrass girl..." he remarked, still watching her intently, like he was waiting for her to scream and run (which she was considering). "In Slytherin, I presume? Am I correct, Severus?"

Daphne hadn't even noticed that her Head of House standing only a few feet away from her beside another Death Eater. "She doesn't have much of a gift for Potions, but I understand that she is quite good at charms." He replied with his typical icy tone. Daphne felt her cheeks go hot with embarrassment at everyone discussing her like she wasn't even standing in the room. She didn't hear what Voldermort's response to Snape's statement was; she was distracted by the cold and very frightened grey eyes that caught hers at last. Draco stared at her like he was pleading for help, but did not move or say anything.

"Clear this pile of rubbish away from me." Voldermort demanded like a king "And bring me something else to entertain me."

As the others around them all scrambled to do the Dark Lord's bidding, Draco sprung up from the table and made a b-line over towards Daphne. Instead of speaking to her, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the dining room and across the house.  
"Draco, you can let go now; I will follow you." Daphne remarked quietly. He listened and dropped her arm, but continued at the same pace. She followed him upstairs and into his room, which as soon as she was inside, he slammed the door behind him and leaned against it like he was trying to barricade it. "Are you alright, Draco?"

"Does it look like I'm alright?" he said flatly. Daphne said nothing because she knew there was no point; he would tell her in a few moments anyways "Despite everything I did for him, he still treats me and my family like dirt." He said, pushing off the door, shuffling over to his bed, and collapsed on it.

"What's been happening? Who was that being eaten by the snake?" Daphne asked frantically as she climbed up and sat at the foot of the bed.

"Professor Burbage." He breathed "I pretended like I had no idea who she was, but of course I knew."

"He _killed_ her?" Daphne asked incredulously.

"Of course he did." Draco replied, clearly less shocked by the reasoning as the method "She taught Muggle Studies, and it is, after all, a useless subject." There was a pause between them for a minute "I just can't believe what he's doing to my family... After all we've done for him, he mocks us and insults us practically every minute." He said quietly, like he was whispering it to himself.

Daphne couldn't think of anything comforting to say. She couldn't reassure him that it wasn't true because it evidently was, but she couldn't offer an explanation behind it either. The only thing she could think of was to show her sympathy without words, so she gently put her hand on his leg. The moment they touched, there was an instant tightening in the room of anticipation; they caught each other's eyes a second later, and just waited for the other to make the next move.  
"I missed you." Daphne whispered softly, still staring into his grey eyes.

"Me too." He whispered back in the same tone.

As they leaned in for their first kiss in weeks, they were interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. Draco rolled his eyes and climbed off the bed, crossing the room and yanking the door open. "What." He asked impatiently.

"Master Malfoy has requested that you and Miss Greengrass come down to the drawing room." Minnie the house elf squeaked nervously at the door.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it's just _Master_!" Draco growled. The house elf squeaked in fear, but did not reply "Just because the Dark Lord demands to be called _master_ by all decrepit creatures like you does not mean you treat your _real_ master any different!"

"Ye-yes young mister- MASTER Malfoy!" the house squeaked so high that it made Daphne cringe. Then, in a puff of smoke, the tiny creature disappeared.

"Well Draco, I can see someone needs to relax." Daphne remarked lightly as she stood from the bed and fixed her skirt.  
Draco turned around with a very wicked smile and watched her walk towards him and the door. "Hence why we're going to continue_ this_ later." He whispered to her as she past him. Daphne externally smiled, but on the inside, a little red flag went up; that conversation could have sounded less like he felt like she was _obliged_ to, and more like he really, really wanted her.

The first thing Daphne saw when they entered the Malfoy's gorgeous drawing room was Pansy's glare of death (which she ignored). The next thing she saw was Theodore, sitting on the couch and looking in much better spirits then he did all last year. She caught his eye, and he nodded at the seat he had left open for her on the dark green couch between him and Blaise. She crossed the room and sat between them, giving Theodore a hug as soon as she was seated.  
"Everything better now?" she whispered in his ear.

"As best as it can be. I'll tell you more later." He mumbled back. Daphne nodded and released him from her hug, then turned and saw that the Dark Lord was now entering the room; she felt all the blood drain from her face when she saw his gigantic snake slithering behind him.  
_  
Oh God, get it away! _She thought, gripping her skirt as tight as she could with her fists. Theodore and Blaise both felt her tense between them and looked at her curiously.

"Daphne, are you alright?" Theodore breathed quietly in her direction. She didn't dare reply because Voldermort was now speaking.

She couldn't concentrate on what he was saying to each person as he walked past them, taking a moment to remark something about their qualities and how he would value their support. Daphne could hear Voldermort telling Pansy that she was a very determined woman, and Millicent had a mind for plotting, Crabbe and Goyle were both loyal servants to whom they thought deserved it, and that Blaise had one of the most wicked minds he'd ever encountered.  
Now it was Daphne's turn. She found that she was stiffer than ever, since the snake had now followed its master, and was slithering in circles around her feet.  
_It's just a snake... it's just a giant snake..._ she repeated over and over in her mind.  
"Miss Greengrass." The Dark Lord said in a curious tone, like he had just found a new toy. Daphne lifted her pale white face from the snake slithering around her to the snake that stood before her. The air in her lungs was knocked out of her, and she felt her whole body give an involuntary but invisible shudder.

The red eyes of Voldermort narrowed for a brief moment, and right before her mind's eye, she saw a flash of various memories fly past her. It took Daphne a moment to understand what was happening, but this it occurred to her that it was Voldermort himself that was pulling these memories out of the darkest corners of her brain.  
"My my," he remarked after he finished looking over a memory of Draco and her being together "Determined to get what you want, no matter the stakes? And yet your methods are quite noble... but still self-centred." He hissed a quick laugh. Daphne jumped a little at the surprise that the Dark Lord was apparently laughing at the fact that he had just witnessed a clear affair, driven by what anyone could describe jealousy. When she moved, the snake made a hissing noise, which only made her jump again. "Don't tell me that a Slytherin is afraid of snakes." Voldermort smirked before he whispered something in a language she couldn't understand, and then the snake began to wrap itself around her legs, climbing up into her lap. Daphne could feel her whole body tremble with fear, staring down at the mammoth snake with her knuckles gripped so tight on her skirt that she thought she might tear holes into it. "I think she wants you to pet her." Voldermort remarked, his tone clearly laughing at her. She looked up in horror, then back to the snake, which sat there in her lap with its head glaring at her like she was its prey. With a very shaky hand, she slowly released her skirt with one hand and reached out to touch the reptile. As soon as her skin touched the scales, the snake let out a loud hiss that nearly made her jump up and run... had it not been for the same snake tightening its grip around her legs. Daphne could no longer contain her fear, and she began to breathe heavily as she tried to push herself as far into the back of the couch in an attempt to escape Nagini.

"My Lord, you must forgive my daughter's weakness." Lennox remarked lightly from across the room. It was only now that Daphne noticed all the parents watching their children go through this ordeal. "She is afraid of almost all animals."

"I can see that, Lennox." Voldermort replied smartly, tapping his head knowingly. Daphne's father nodded his head in reverence, and resumed to standing in silence with the others.

Nagini started to uncoil herself from Daphne's legs, and slithered across her lap to that of Theodore, who also stiffed, but did not show anywhere near the amount of fear that Daphne did. Once the snake was off her, she sighed in relief; she couldn't believe that had just happened. Not only had the Dark Lord seen everything that she had wanted to keep secret, but he then tortured her with his knowledge of what she feared.  
_Shouldn't be surprising, I suppose. _She remarked in her head as she tried to calm herself back down _He's done worse things to people... but now he knows everything! And as much as I would love to say 'He would never tell anyone', somehow I doubt he would care two straws if he did. _  
Daphne missed what Voldermort said to Theodore, along with all the other Slytherin children that he spoke to directly. He taunted another child with his snake, but she didn't dare look to see who it was. Once the Dark Lord was satisfied with what he saw in the 'Heirs to the Perfect Wizarding World', he left the room, taking his servants and many of their parents with him.

Her housemates instantly began whispering amongst themselves about what had just happened. Theodore instantly put his hand on her arm and inquired if she was alright.  
"I'm fine... I guess." She said quietly, looking at her fists that were still in tight balls. She slowly opened her fingers again, cracking the tight muscles and bones as she did. "Theodore, did he... search your mind?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, he did." Theodore muttered "Did you hear what he said? 'You're reliable like your father, but I see you still need to be convinced. I assume that won't take much, will it?'"

"Why did he read our minds?" she asked, staring off at the floor with unfocused eyes as she tried to remember everything he looked at in her head.

"To scare us. To see if any of us are traitors. I'm sure he has a dozen reasons why, but I wouldn't suggest asking him yourself." Theodore chuckled when he finished. Daphne couldn't find anything to say to that. Her first encounter with the Dark Lord had been a memorable one... and one that she didn't want to relive again either.

**_AN: I know it was a short update, but if I didn't split the summer up, then A. you would have to wait another week at least for an update, and B. it would have been about 12, 000 words long!  
This coming week is very busy for me! Assignments, exams, TWILIGHT, and work have tied my hands when it comes to writing. I'll start the next portion this coming weekend!! Promise!  
REVIEW LIKE IT'S FOOD! FOR EVERY REVIEW I GET, I WILL MOTIVATE MYSELF TO ACTUALLY COOK SOME FOOD!! hahaha, good times university._**


	21. Year 7 Part 2

**_AN: A nice long update for you all. Now, there is a small disclaimer that goes with this chapter..._**

THERE IS SOME EXPLICIT AND MATURE CONTENT IN THIS CHAPTER!! I'M WARNING YOU IN ADVANCE!!

This will most likely be as explicit as it gets.... but I'm just letting everyone know... it's probably like PG-14 to M level.

Moving on!!

There were no more dramatics that evening after Voldermort had left the room. Daphne wasn't sure if the Dark Lord ever slept, or even rested, but he apparently understood that most normal human beings needed too, and allowed for them all to return to their ascribed rooms. The Malfoy Manor, which apparently had somewhat expected something like that, had a charm on it so that the guest rooms were duplicated to whatever number was required. In this case, the number was 47.  
"Miss Daphne Greengrass, your room is going to be down at the end." Minnie the house elf told the Greengrass family as she showed them to their rooms.

"Why is our daughter's room so far away from ours?" Medea asked suspiciously.

"Young Master Malfoy had requested that his classmates be near him, so they won't disturb the other guests as they visit each other throughout the night." The tiny house else remarked as she shifted her dress (which looked like an old doily) uncomfortably.

"Makes sense." Lennox said in a gruff voice. "The last thing I believe any of the other guests, including to the Dark Lord, is to be disturbed by a bunch of teenagers running about." His wife did not look so convinced, and gave her daughter a suspicious eye that made Daphne squirm in her skin a little.

"I trust that not _all _of them will be visiting people's room late at night." Her mother stated to no one directly, although it was clearly a warning meant for Daphne. "Well, show her to her room. No point in just standing about like suit of armour in the halls." And with that, Lennox and Medea Greengrass disappeared into their room and closed the door firmly.

"I don't understand why _you_ get to be away from mother and father." Astoria sneered at her sister once their parents were gone.

"Because I'm friend to the heir of this house, and you're just another mouth to feed as far as they're concerned... and a big mouth at that." Daphne sneered back before she turned and followed Minnie down to her room.

"This will be your room, Miss." The tiny elf said, waving her hand at the door, which opened on its own. "It was requested that you have this room specifically." She squeaked quickly.

"I can't imagine why..." Daphne mumbled as she remarked whose door was across the hall. "Thank you Minnie, that will be all." She remarked absently as she stepped into her room and closed the door.

It was a lovely room, as she expected. It had a fairly obvious colour scheme (emerald green and silver) that was pretty reoccurring in the Malfoy Manor, but this room was an extravagant example of the wealth and prestige that the Malfoy's have...  
_Had... If things are really as bad as Draco says, then I'm surprised they can afford to have all of this stuff... _She walked over to the bed, which had linens of emerald green with intricate vine embroidered into in. _Mind you, it's not like they have much of a choice. _

After about half an hour of sitting in her room, reading the newest edition of Witch Weekly (which, frankly, had gone downhill since the end of the last school year) as she sprawled out on the top of her queen-sized bed, she heard a very soft, almost silent knock on the other side of her door. "Come in." She called with a smirk on her face. As expected, Draco strolled in and closed the door behind him.  
"Are your accommodations to your liking?" he remarked as he slowly crossed the room. Daphne, trying to play coy despite the heart palpitations she got every time she spoke to him, nodded her head slowly, pretending to be too absorbed in her magazine to answer. "Not quite the answer I was looking for."

"Hmm, and what answer were you looking for?" she replied smartly, still not looking away from the magazine.

"Attention for one thing." Draco chuckled as he climbed on the bed beside her.

"But I'm reading." Daphne smirked, looking slightly over her shoulder and smiling at him. He chuckled to himself, and as she mildly expected, she felt a cool hand resting on the back of her naked thigh. She was still wearing the navy blue shirt and dark green sweater, but when she jerked away from the snake, she had put a run in her tights, and had to take them off.

"Can't you read some other time?" he asked, his head leaned right up beside her ear, with his hand stroking her leg. Daphne had to close her eyes for a moment to try and concentrate, to make a decision of whether or not this was a good idea.

"We can't do this here." She whispered back, not turning her head still. "The chance of my mother, or father, or even sister, just barging in on my room is high. They always do at home, and they will feel no different doing it here."

"Are you saying they would have indecency to walk into any room in my house?" he laughed, still stroking her leg. As he planned, her facade of being cool and in control was fading away.

"Not any room, just mine." She sighed, now staring at the coloured pages of the magazine, but couldn't even register what it said or even pictured. _You knew this would happen here. It was obvious to you from the moment you received the invitation. _She thought, her eyeing slowly again at his touch.

"Well, then let's go for a walk." Draco whispered in her ear. Then, as quick as lightning, was standing from the bed and now standing in front of her. "We'll find somewhere that we can, where no one can interrupt us." He remarked coolly, and stood before her with his hand extended in her direction. Daphne stared at it for a moment, then at him, before she sighed in happy defeat, climbed off the bed, and crossed the space between them to grab it.

She didn't ask where they were going until the exited the house through the glass French doors of the drawing room (where the energy of the room that still lingered gave her chills).  
"Draco, do you intend on telling me where we're going?" she whispered to him as he closed the glass doors behind them leaving them standing on the marble balcony overlooking the grounds. It was a gorgeous night, with a bright moon, lighting up the entire lawn as if it was only twilight. All the stars were shining bright above them, and Daphne paused from her questions for a moment to marvel at the beauty of the night sky.

"Trust me, Daphne." Draco remarked, before he took her hand again and started towards the marble staircase that led down to the lawn.  
_  
I guess I have to... I mean, it's not like he's going to- _Her own thoughts were broken off when she saw the course that Draco was taking. _Shit! No, no! Stop him!  
_"Draco, wait!" she breathed, tugging back on his grip a little. Draco stopped and rounded on her quickly, his expression one of irritation. "You know I don't like the forest! Isn't there somewhere else?"

"No, not really, unless you wanted the Dark Lord to walk in on us instead." Draco remarked sharply "Daphne, there's nothing in there! We have a 15 foot wall all around the property to keep anything and everything out."

"Some creatures are bigger than 15 feet. And what if that snake it out there, slithering around and waiting to crawl up my legs again!?"

"Nagini never leaves the Dark Lord's side." Draco stated in a low voice "Look, we can't stand in the middle of the lawn all night; someone is sure to see us out here." He remarked, starting to walk again with Daphne in tow "Nothing is going to hurt you, Daphne; it's just the forest."  
_  
Just the forest...JUST the forest._ Daphne's mind protested, but she bit her lip to stop her. Although her common sense and intuition told her that the forest was not the greatest place to have one of their trysts, her heart felt in the same spell she always felt, not to mention a little thrill of doing such a thing outside. _Can't say I've ever been much on an exhibitionist, but if it's with Draco..._ Her mind trailed off again as they stepped into the tree line, and Daphne took a deep, calming breath as she continued to follow.

They didn't stop walking for another 10 minutes. When they finally did slow to a stop, Daphne saw why he chose this place above all others. It was an oval shaped clearing, with such a thick boarder of trees that she could have sworn it was a wall, and short grass like it was part of the Malfoy's immaculate front lawn. There was nothing in the large span of grass, which spanned about 50 metres across; just an empty span of lawn in the middle of a thick, overgrown forest.  
"My father used to use this area to practice duelling." Draco explained at a normal volume at last. Now that they were out of earshot of everyone for almost half a mile in all directions, they could speak at whatever level they wanted... not to mention do whatever they wanted. "Now I use it to get away from my house. Come out and stare at the sky all night just to get away from them all."

At the mention of the sky, Daphne looked up at an even clearer sky then before. The lights from the house were no longer dulling their beauty, and she couldn't help but give a very small, almost silent gasp at the sight. Draco laughed and gently turned her head back to him and kissed her quite fiercely. The only thing Daphne could think to do to prevent herself from fainting was to wrap her arms around his shoulder, and she kissed him back with the same passion. But only a minute into their first unbridled kiss since the end of 6th year, Malfoy vanished from her arms, causing her to fall onto the cool, dewy grass. In a brief moment on panic, Daphne scrambled to her feet and looked around in desperation.

"Draco, where are you?" she called, her voice shrill with a slight panic. From across the clearing, she could hear a low laugh, and she felt a quiet sigh escape her.

"I'll race you." He called to her, unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it onto the ground. Daphne laughed and looked behind her at the thick brush behind her, clearly shielding her. She shook her head at his humour, then began to remove her clothes, starting with the green sweater, then her navy blue skirt, and finally the yellow tank top that she wore as an undershirt. Now she stood in only her underwear, staring across the field at a now also practically naked Draco. "Well? Are you coming?" he asked as he took a few steps forward into the clearing. Daphne looked down at her feet, which still had her brown shoes on them. She kicked them off and realized how cold the dewy grass was.

"How about you come get me." She called, smiling crookedly. Draco paused in his walk, then disappeared for a moment. As she expected, she felt his hot breath on the back of her neck, but then felt herself being teleported with him, and all within a few moments, they were together in the centre of the field.

"Happy?" Draco smirked, clearly impressed at what she was wearing.

"Oh yes." She breathed before she leaned in and kissed him, standing on her tip-toes to reach him comfortably. They kissed for about a minute before Draco dipped Daphne back onto the wet grass, slipping at the last moment in his bare feet and dropping her onto her back and falling beside her. "Very suave Draco." She laughed, cuddling up against his warm body.

"Mmm, I thought so." He chuckled before he pulled her on top of him and kissed her again.

The sunrise that morning was glorious, filling the clear sky with a continuum of pink that extended across one half of the sky. As Daphne and Draco snuck back into the house, careful not to slam any doors or step on any creaky floorboards, their flushed sky was cold with the morning air. They snuck up the stairs, careful to walk on the edges of the steps, where they were less likely to squeak, and when they reached the far end of the recently massive hallway, paused outside of their separate doors.  
"Well, that was certainly different." Daphne whispered quietly as she leaned against her door. Draco smirked and looked down the halls, which were dimly lit with the rising sun. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he leaned in towards her, his arms on either side of her, smirking with satisfaction.

"Well, I figured we should take advantage of having so many options." He remarked smoothly "Tomorrow will be somewhere else."

"Tomorrow? Well, aren't you sure of yourself." Daphne teased, raising her eyebrows dramatically.

"I always have been." Draco chuckled, leaning in and kissing her neck. Daphne couldn't help but feel her heart race and the world fade away from around her again, and she started to close her eyes at her incoming fantasy world.

"Well, this is interesting." Said a low voice. It took Daphne a moment to register that it wasn't Draco, and she instantly took in a sharp breath; they had been caught.  
_  
HIDE! _She thought furiously. As soon as she finished thinking that one word, she felt a sudden change of air around her... literally. She opened her one eye cautiously and found that she was no longer standing in the hallway of the Malfoy Manor; she was now on the roof. "Oh fuc-" she started, panicking at the location she had subconsciously apparated herself to. She started to lose her balance, and she fought the cold morning breeze to stay standing. Her foot slipped on the damp slate tiles, and she felt her whole body slam onto the roof and begin it's sliding decent towards the edge. Closing her eyes again, she thought of her room in the Manor, and much to her luck, she felt the carpeted floor meet her a moment later, as opposed to the 20 foot drop onto stone.

"Oh shit..." she breathed to herself, lying on her back on the floor. _What the hell just happened? _She thought, putting her fingers up to her neck to check her pulse. As she rewound her thoughts, she found the spark to the dramatics; someone had seen her and Draco. "Oh shit!" she repeated again, standing from the floor and running to the door, pressing her head against it to try and hear. Draco was still there, speaking very forcefully at whoever the spy was. Daphne couldn't tell whose voice it was, but it was speaking at a reasonable tone, meaning that he wasn't angry. _Well at least it wasn't Pansy. _Daphne sighed with relief, leaning against her door again and sliding down onto the floor. _No one else matters to me... I would tell the whole world if I didn't think she would rip my eyes out for it. Not that it would matter; I would still have the satisfaction that Draco wants me, not her..._

Daphne slept for a few hours, until about 10am, when her parents were finally fed up with waiting for her to make an appearance for breakfast, and pounded on her door.  
"Honestly Daphne, this isn't like home where you can sleep all day!" Medea hissed when she flung the door open (without being granted permission to enter from Daphne, who turned in her sleep and groaned at the sound of her mother's voice.

"It's not like you need me for anything! Let me sleep..." Daphne grumbled as she pulled the covers over her head.

"You need to appear with us, as _part_ of our family, not some occasional accessory!" Medea quipped sharply, yanking the covers off her daughter. "Now get up and get dressed. And how on earth did you get grass stains on your shoulders!?"

"What?" Daphne asked sleepily, standing from her bed and walking towards the mirror like a zombie. When she saw that she indeed had grass stains on the back of her shoulders, she shrugged and pretended not to know how they got there. "Maybe the dye is running from the sweater." She remarked, nodding her head towards the pile of dark wool that lay in the middle of her floor.

"I doubt it, but no matter. You need to tell me what colour you fancy a dress being so I can charm one of my old ones." Medea remarked absently, picking up the sweater like it was covered in mud and dropping it into a basket in the corner of the room.

"Dress? What for?" Daphne called to her as she walked into her en-suite bathroom. There, she got a better look at not only the grass stains on her shoulder, but her back, legs, elbows, and even her cheek. She also noticed the red fabric bag that was sitting on her counter, waiting to be used. _Crap... _Daphne thought, shoving it into a drawer under the sink. A moment later, her mother appeared just outside the bathroom door.

"The Dark Lord wants a ball here. Tonight." She remarked dully.

"Since when does the Dark Lord enjoy dancing?" Daphne mumbled, the thought of the last ball she was at running through her mind. Although she was pretty intoxicated, she was sure that it wasn't Voldermort's scene...

"He wants entertainment... and what's more entertaining than watching his subjects do his bidding?" Medea said, picking up the tassel that held her curtains closed and flinging them open, letting the bright, summer sun beam into the room. "Now what colour do you want your dress? And don't say green; everyone will be wearing green, and as much as you should probably blend in while dancing, it would be nice to get a suitor for you or something."

"Well, thank you mother." Daphne smiled sarcastically, "How kind of you to think of someone other than Astoria for once. I assume she gets a new dress?"

"No, she does not, Daphne. And watch your smart-ass mouth." Medea warned, tossing her red hair over her shoulder "Are you going to tell me the colour or not?"

"I want purple, or yellow, since you won't let me have green." Daphne sighed, before she picked up a brush and began to comb through her hair (finding more grass).

"Fine." Medea said snootily. "Hurry up, Daphne; your father is waiting for all of us in the drawing room with some family friends."

"Joy..." Daphne remarked, rolling her eyes once her mother and turned away and was walking out of her room. _So there's a ball tonight? Well that will be interesting... _she sighed, brushing the other side of her hair, slowly pulling out the knots and debris from the night before.

Being forced to listen to her parents speak with family friends, such as the Avery's and the Macnair's, was more torturous than listening to Professor Binns go on about some Goblin rebellion in the 2nd century! All the talked about was how this person was a blood traitor, and how that person would surely be killed so if they didn't stop talking so much.  
"Keep note, my daughters; someone with a big mouth that doesn't know how to control it will surely find themselves dead... like Octavius Pepper tonight." Lennox remarked, before he and Macnair broke out into almost identical, booming laughs.

"Mother, can I please go talk to someone else?" Astoria whined quietly to her mother.

"Yes, fine." Their mother told her daughter gently. As her sister rose and walked away, Daphne stood and followed, despite Medea's hiss of disapproval.

"Having problems listening to father chat about the life you love?" Daphne remarked as she passed her sister in the hallway, just before they started to ascend the stairs.

"No, I just want to write to someone while they thoughts are fresh in my mind. Why are you leaving? Going to sit in your room and mope over how useless your existence is?" Astoria replied in a fake voice of innocence.

"Oh no, I wouldn't give you that satisfaction." Daphne sneered, kicking her foot backwards and hitting Astoria in the shoulder a few steps bellow. To her disappointment, her sister did not tumble down the flight of stairs, but she did not turn and try again. She continued down to the end of the long hallway and entered her room in silence, not listening to the shouts Astoria was hissing at her. Once she entered her room and closed the door firmly behind her, she noticed there was a yellow tea dress, which a slightly flared skirt and a sweetheart, halter neckline. Across the waist of the dress was a purple sash, which even when tied into a bow at the back extended well past the hem of the dress. _Well, it looks alright I suppose..._ Daphne thoughts, holding the dress up before her in the mirror. Although she wasn't thrilled about wearing her mother's old gowns, at least this way she wouldn't have to wear the same dress robes from the Yule Ball 3 years ago!

No sooner did Daphne hang the dress up and curl up in her bed again for a quick nap did her father burst into the room without knocking.  
"Daphne, get out of bed already! It's 6:30, for God sakes!" he said sharply the moment he saw her. Daphne had not been in as deep of as sleep as she wanted, so she rolled over and instantly sat upright.

"You know, I could have been changing or something, Father." She pointed out in a low, even tone. He only gave her a warning glare, but did not reply. "Well, what do you want?"

"The Dark Lord wants the Ball to start in half an hour. I suggest you _get out_ of bed and into the dress your mother got for you." Lennox said in his low, God-like voice, picking something out of his pants pocket. "And wear this." He added, tossing what he had just pulled out to her. She managed to catch it, and instantly paused in getting out of bed to look at it. "Will you hurry up!?" her father hissed, causing her to jump from bed and run into her bathroom, still trying to see what the necklace was. Now that she had it in better light, she could clearly see what it said; it was a sterling silver locket with her initials engraved into it with fancy, swirling writing. On the back, it had the Greengrass family crescent carved in the same fashion.

"Thank you fa-" she started to call, but he was already gone from her room. She sighed and put on the necklace, carefully examining how it looked on her in the mirror. _I never understand why everyone picks Astoria... I'm not bad looking at all! I'm actually quite pretty, now that I think about it. _She thought, turning and making calm and reserved faces in front of her bathroom mirror as if she were a model for Madame Malkin's robes in Witch Weekly. _Just because I don't have blonde hair and blue eyes, and a waist the size of a broom handle doesn't make me ugly, does it? I mean, I've got boobs! That's got to count for something! _She sighed as she looked down at her accessories that were permanently attached to her chest. "Actually, you two get me into a lot of trouble, now that I think about it." She mumbled as she walked out of her bathroom to put on the second-hand dress that her mother was making her wear.

45 minutes later, Daphne ran down the halls of the house in the small, silver flats that her mother threw at her only minutes before. Everyone was running late (thank goodness for Daphne), and she was not the last person to run into the Malfoy's ballroom. The sun was just setting, and as was becoming a regular appearance, another body was being shovelled away from the dining room and into a hole in the wall. As all the guests stood or sat in the room, waiting for Lord Voldermort to finish up his business with whatever his last victim was for the evening, Daphne couldn't help but notice the large, wing-backed chair down by the fire, perched at the end of the room like a great throne. She tried to stretch her neck around to see if there were any other chairs around it, but her vision was abruptly cut off by a figure wearing black walked in front of her.  
"Drink, Daphne?" Theodore asked, holding out a crystal goblet filled with a dark red liquid.

"What's in it?" she asked, carefully taking it from his hands.

"It's wine. As in it's meant to have alcohol in it." He chuckled, more or less falling into the seat beside her on the ottoman.

"What is it with alcohol and dancing for you?" Daphne remarked lightly, smiling a little as she took a small sip of the red wine she had been handed "Mmm, it is rather good, whatever it is."

"I found these on the buffet table across the room, Daphne; I didn't make these myself." He chuckled to himself "And I just find I'm much more comfortable dancing when I have a bit of liquid courage." He said before he tipped back the goblet and emptied it into his throat.

"A bit?" Daphne remarked smartly before she took another sip of her drink. _Certainly looks like he's had more than a bit..._ He gave her a quick glare like he could read her thoughts, but didn't say anything "So, do _you_ know why we're having this parade of formality tonight?"

"Aside to torture people like me, I'm not sure. I can't say my father has ever told me that the Dark Lord has a love for dancing or something, but perhaps he does. And it is, after all, an entirely Pureblood tradition." He mumbled with half-opened eyes, setting his crystal glass on the window ledge behind them. "Besides, perhaps he enjoys watching lots of girls dance around in front of him or something." He said, poking Daphne un-necessarily in the side.

"Thank you Theodore for putting that thought into my mind..." Daphne mumbled as she took a bigger swig of her wine.

It was only a few minutes later that the Dark Lord entered the room without speaking to anyone but Bellatrix, who was accompanying him throughout the house lately. The guests all stood around anxiously, waiting for him to make some sort of command. After he was seated in his apparent throne, with Nagini slithering around the legs of the chair, he whispered something to Bellatrix, who smiled and turned to the company.  
"You may begin." She announced in her shrill voice that reminded Daphne of her mother. There was a moment to scrambling as the band tried to gather their instruments and music together, but then there was harmonious music that filled the room, instantly calming in the atmosphere... for a moment.

"Well, shall we get this all over with?" Theodore sighed, running his fingers through his hair lazily and almost falling backwards off his seat when he did.

"Is that your way of asking me to dance?" Daphne laughed, taking the last sip of her wine and setting it on the window ledge as well.

"Well, I wouldn't want to _torture_ you if you don't want to." Theodore made a face at her as he fixed his dress robes.

"Are you sure you're able to dance, Theo?" she asked carefully, trying not to draw any attention to one of her dearest friend's already obvious condition.

"Of course!" he laughed and jumped up from the chair, managing to not fall or knock anything over. He spun on his heel twice in a circle, then bowed at his performance. "Satisfied?"

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Daphne giggled at his antics, then stood and fixed her dress, smoothing out the wrinkles from sitting. "I don't know anyone else here, and I'm not about to dance with a stranger."

"I'm going to pretend that didn't sound so insulting." Theodore smirked as he took Daphne's arm and led her onto the ballroom floor.

The first dance was a very generic waltz, which was lucky for Daphne because she was beginning to wonder how many drinks Theodore _really _had in order to. At the end of their second dance, he was forced to excuse himself. Daphne tried to follow him to make sure he didn't get into any trouble (or fall into a toilet and drown himself), but he disappeared as soon as he was out of the ballroom doors.  
"Oh, hello Daphne." Came a voice like a cat.

"Hi Pansy..." Daphne replied in a less-than-enthusiastic tone. "Have you seen Theodore? I think he might be sick."

"Oh, that might be from the 8 glasses of wine Millicent and I saw him downing about half an hour ago!" Pansy laughed.

"What!? Did none of you think to stop him!?" she hissed, her face suddenly contorted in anger. "He could die from that much to drink! I mean, look at the size of him!"

"Oh, stop your hollering." Pansy rolled her eyes. "Theodore is fine. And if he isn't, he deserves it for having that much to drink." She stated haughtily "Now come dance, Daphne." She insisted, holding out her hand, her expression practically daring her to accept it. Pansy's distrust of Daphne was still obvious, and Daphne made no mistake of it. But if she refused, then she could also end up in a similar position if she accepted. _Trapped no matter which way I go..._she thought gloomily. With a small, forced smile, she reached out and took Pansy's gloved hand and stared at their interaction for a moment, she was waiting for a scorpion to crawl out and bite her. From a distance, they could hear the all-too familiar song that made Daphne's ears cringe. "Oooo, I _love_ this song!" Pansy cried excitedly, taking Millicent's arm and dragging both her and Daphne with her back onto the dance floor.

"I _hate_ this song..." Daphne mumbled under her breath as she felt her body being pulled against her will towards the mass of people.

This song was of course one of the traditional dances that had been passed down for God-knows how long through Pureblood families. Used as an excuse to mingle strangers together, thus bringing the families closer together, this was one of the many Courting dances, as her mother had once told her. As Daphne tried to remember exactly how this dance went, she was reliving the memory at that very moment. Being forced into a large ring of all the girls, all joined in hands and facing the centre, spinning in time with the music as a group. On the outside ring were the guys, who did not hold hands, but somehow danced around in a circle in the opposite direction (Daphne never paid attention to them; she was more concerned in getting her own footwork right). Then, at a specific chord of the song, the girls would extend one arm back behind them, without looking, and wait for the guy who was in line with them to take it. Her mother had made it clear that it was a great insult to not have one's hand taken, and that if (God-forbid) no one took her hand, she should leave the ball immediately, or face embarrassment for the rest of the night. Lucky for Daphne, however, someone took her hand. And like dandelion seeds floating away from the stem, all the girls turned in a single spin and into the arms of their partner chosen by fate.

"Blaise!" Daphne laughed, grateful that it was someone she knew.

"Funny how we always end up dancing with each other." He smirked as he led her through the steps of the dance.

"Yes... funny..." she replied awkwardly. "Have you seen Theodore? I'm worried he's had too much to drink." She asked, hoping that he would know where his friend had gone.

"Sorry Daph, I can't say that I have." He replied absently, looking around the room at the other dancers that were whirling by.

"How many times do I have to tell you to not call me that?" Daphne growled. Blaise laughed, but didn't respond to her implied threat.

They continued to dance, and much to both their surprise, Daphne managed to keep up with even the most complicated of moves that Blaise was throwing at her. "Daphne, I dare say you've learned how to keep a rhythm!" Blaise teased. Daphne felt her face go slightly pink, and simply shrugged. "I think I know how you've managed that." He whispered in a low sultry voice.

"What?" Daphne asked, chuckling a little in confusion.

"I saw you and Draco together this morning." He said at the same level, his eyes locked with hers as her expression instantly changed to shock. "I daresay that's _one _way to learn how to keep a beat."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" she tried to pretend to be calm, but the damage was already done.

"Daphne, you may have apparated yourself out of there in one second flat, but this," he held up a lock of her hair, still dancing with her like they were simply chatting about the weather "Is unmistakeable. There are only two red heads in the house; one is your mother, who I know for a fact would not be out at sunrise with Draco. And not to mention your shade of hair is one of a kind." Daphne could hear her heart beat in her ears as he spoke, but Blaise's voice was still overpowering her mind "I would know that head of yours anywhere."

"Blaise, you mustn't say-" but she didn't have time to finish grovelling to him; their solo portion of the dance had finished, and she was gently pushed back into the circle of all girls again. Everyone else was laughing and smiling, but Daphne looked as though she had just been slashed across the stomach and was slowly bleeding out. _How could I not know that was Blaise! Draco surely must know it was him! What did he say to him!? Oh God, what if Blaise says something to Pansy! _Her mind was frantic, and at one point she thought she was going to faint. She feebly tried to leave the spinning ring, but the iron grip of the brunette girl beside her, and Millicent on the other, kept her tightly locked in the chain of femininity. Just when she was about ready to scream out at them and push them all away, and then run out of the ball to throw up somewhere, the ring stopped spinning, and all the other girls put their left hand behind them, blindly waiting for a partner. Although delayed, Daphne did this at the last second and felt someone's fingers instantly wrap around hers. And then, as if the nightmare couldn't get any worse...

"Draco?!" she breathed, pausing in the dance for a moment in shock and fear. For a very brief moment, her fear of Blaise was erased and the fear of Pansy came flooding back out of instinct. "God, it must be your goal to get me killed." She muttered, making brief, shy eye contact.

"I've never danced with you in my life, Daphne. If Pansy is jealous of this, than she can go stuff it... I see her dancing with Flint right now..." he said, his head turning as they danced passed Pansy and Marcus Flint, whose looks had yet to improve.

"Well, you are a good dancer... for the record." Daphne replied meekly, only smiling to herself as she tried with all her strength to keep up with his moves. Like Blaise, he was a very skilled dancer (coming from all the lessons his mother had forced him to take, no doubt), and he was able to make Daphne's dancing look effortless and graceful to anyone watching. He was a very good leader... on multiple levels...  
Her own train of thought brought her furiously back to her current problem; no longer did she care what Pansy saw or thought about Daphne dancing with Draco. They had other things to be concerned about now...

"Draco, Blaise saw us this morning." She whispered frantically. His face froze momentarily, and like lightning, his head turned to see Blaise, who had looked up at that very moment, almost like he overheard Daphne, and smirked right at Draco. He cursed under his breath and gripped Daphne's hand harder out of frustration.

"I tried to steer him away from it... play it off that it was Pansy or something, and that he shouldn't say anything because her parents..." he muttered to himself, and then he looked up at Daphne, his grey eyes slightly suspicious. "How did he know it was you?"

"My hair... apparently I'm _unmistakeable_." Daphne sighed, and for the first time in her life wished she was blonde like her sister; easy to overlook in a sea of blondes and brunettes.

"Damn it, I thought you apparated fast enough so he didn't see you at all." He cursed under his breath, now carefully looking at Blaise again. He was dancing with some thin girl with sandy blonde hair down to her lower back. "That was very quick thinking, by the way."

"Oh, thank you... I ended up on your roof." Daphne sniffed a quick, ironic laugh at their situation.

The dance was at last coming to a close. As one last phrase played, Draco ended their dance by dipping Daphne low, holding her there while he glared at Blaise across the room. When he pulled Daphne up again, she could see the expression on Blaise's face; his arrogant satisfaction made her anger start to boil again. "Come on." Draco barked quietly to her, pulling her in the direction of Blaise, before he released her hand to avoid any other suspicion. Daphne followed obediently, and wasn't surprised when Draco pretended to walk up and whisper something to Blaise, but to her eyes only, she saw the death grip Draco had on his arm, pushing him out of the ballroom and down a hallway. They stopped a few moments later after walking in awkward silence, and Draco pushed Blaise into what Daphne assumed was a sitting room of some sort, where Blaise instantly burst out laughing.

"Well this confirms everything in my mind now!" he cried in hilarity "And now it all makes sense; how Pansy sneers at her, how she knows so much about you-"

"Shut up Blaise, you prat!" Draco hissed, giving Blaise a shove down into an old chair that creaked with the sudden pressure. "I told you to keep your mouth shut about what you saw." He growled through a locked jaw.

"Correction Malfoy; you told me not to tell Pansy's parents." Blaise replied with a smirk of satisfaction on his face. "Come to think of it, I _could_ tell Pansy if I wanted-"

"NO!" Daphne and Draco both shouted at once, their desperation obvious. Blaise's face was one of maniacal pleasure at their reaction, and he stared at them both as he waited for them to make their next move.

"Zabini, what do you want?" Draco growled at last. Blaise smirked and put his fingers to his chin as he thought, his smirk still showing them that he had all the control in this negotiation.

"Hmmm. Well, for starters, I want one of your brooms." He replied smoothly.

"Excuse me!?" Draco shouted indignantly

"And not your old Comet either! I want your Nimbus."

"You're right off your rocker if you think I'll give you my broom, you piece of-"

"_And_ I want money." Blaise added calmly, his eyes lit by a devious fire that only he could see. Whether he had done this before or not, Blaise's attempt at blackmail was working very well so far.

"_Money_!? Are you joking!" Draco sniffed a laugh in disbelief "God, I'd almost rather tell her then give you all of that! It's not worth it!"

"Oh don't worry; if you two don't pay up, I'll be telling her myself." Blaise chuckled, watching them contently.

"_Two_? As in you're going to blackmail _me_ as well?" Daphne asked through gritted teeth. Blaise was far too greedy for his own good, and either he would walk away with all the power, or destroy them both; it was a lose-lose situation.

"Of course." He smirked even wider. "It only works if I get you both."

"You're a real asshole Blaise, you know that right?" Daphne glared at him, but he was not even swayed by her expression or words. "Well, what do you want from me?"

"I don't know. I'll get back to you later on that one." He said before he turned to Draco "So, do we have a deal? Or should I go fetch Pansy and see what she thinks?"

"How do we know you're not lying? That you won't just turn around and tell her?" Daphne pressed, her eyes set on him like she was trying to dig at his soul.

"Well, you're just going to have to trust me, aren't you Greengrass?" Blaise smirked at her before he turned to Draco "Are we in agreement, Malfoy?"  
Draco cracked his knuckles, but knew that violence wouldn't solve anything. He didn't say anything for a few moments, and Daphne knew what he was most likely thinking; it's better to cover it up, and shut him up, rather than deal with the repercussions now. "Fine, you have a deal." He growled at last. "How much money do you want?" he grumbled in defeat. Daphne was surprised he gave up the fight so easily, but maybe he knew that it was better to not anger Blaise and just give him what he wanted.

"95 Galleons." He replied smugly at his victory.

"WHAT! I am not throwing you 95 Galleons!" Draco shouted, his temper starting to get the better of him now.

"Fine. Make it 50 and we have a deal." He replied smartly.

"Fine. Then the deal is you keep your mouth shut or I'll curse your whole family." Draco growled.

"Why didn't you think of that before..." Daphne muttered quietly to herself.

"Alright, fine. As soon as I get my money and broom, I'll pretend like I never saw it." Blaise smirked, standing from the chair, his smug expression enough to make Daphne want to rip his eyes out. "I'll talk to you later about your payment, Daphne. My silence is an expensive commodity, but I trust you both know how very necessary to keep your lives running smoothly." He said as he passed both Draco and Daphne and opened the door. "See you back in the ball." He smiled, his eyes laughing at them. He exited the room and closed the door behind him, giving them some privacy that could have saved them from this whole ordeal if they had done this early that morning...

"What do you think he'll make me pay?" Daphne whispered after a minute of silence between then, Draco cracking his knuckles and staring out the window into the sunset beyond.

"I haven't a clue. Right now, I'm concerned with how I'm supposed to pull 50 Galleons out of my ass as soon as possible." He said in a sharp tone. "I'm going to go back and make sure Blaise hasn't run off to find Pansy... and while I'm at it, I think I'll make him make an unbreakable vow too." And with that, Draco swiftly walked passed her, opened the door, and also exited the room, leaving Daphne standing alone in the empty, dimly lit room.

She didn't feel like going back to the ball after that, and the wine she had was starting to make her feel a little queasy. So she made a quick entry, told her parents she wasn't feeling well, and went back up to her room unnoticed, but not before grabbing a quick glass of punch on the way out, which apparently had alcohol in it as well, because she instantly felt more nauseated. Once she was upstairs, she immediately stripped off the dress that she felt was constricting the life out of her now, and pulled on a pair on long, blue cotton pants and an old, white tattered tank top.  
_With Blaise now in on the secret, we're going to have to be extra careful, _she thought as she pulled out the same issue of Witch Weekly she had been trying to read last night. _But now I'm going to have to walk around on eggshells, trying not to piss of Blaise... I know Draco believes that a death threat will shut him up, but I don't think he really cares. _She looked up at the clock on the desk in the far corner; 11:30pm. She had now been hiding in her room for almost 4 hours. The ball was most likely drawing to a close now, and she was starting to hear people running around in the hallway. She could hear Pansy yelling something obscenely loud outside her room, and Daphne rolled her eyes and climbed into bed; clearly she wasn't missing anything except a bunch of her drunken housemates. Once she was under the covers, she tossed her magazine on the floor beside her bed and turned out the light.

It was only about half an hour later that Daphne was awoken by the creak of her door opening, and the light from the hallway flooding into her room. She stirred from her sleep and tried to focus her eyes against the bright light. She couldn't see who exactly it was, but it was for sure a man.  
"Doesn't anyone ever knock in this house?" she mumbled as she set her head back on the pillow with a flop.

"I wish I could tell you the answer." The voice, who she soon identified as Blaise, responded as he closed the door and turned a light on at the end of his wand.

"You are the_ last_ person I want to see right now." Daphne growled, not moving from her sleeping position, determined to make him go away by ignoring him. "Get out of here, _now_." She demanded.

"Well, aren't _you_ rude." Blaise laughed as he stumbled across her floor and jumped onto her bed. She could smell the booze on him, and Daphne rolled her eyes in annoyance, giving him a firm kick in the side through the covers.

"Well, aren't _you_ drunk." She hissed as she delivered another kick to him "Get off my bed Blaise!"

"I wouldn't be attacking me since I hold _your _fate in _my_ hands, remember?" he said firmly. Daphne stopped kicking him for a moment and glared at him.

"Blaise, get out of my room." She demanded in a low voice.

"No. I came to tell you I've figured out how you're going to pay for my silence." He drawled as he sat up and leaned against one of the posts of her bed frame.

"Oh, I'm waiting with baited breath." She sneered at him. "You can tell me in the morning, now get out." She demanded again, but he ignored it.

"I'm thinking you can show me what you and Draco do together." He stated in a low voice that made her wonder what the heck he was getting at. She couldn't help but laugh when she repeated what he said in her head again.

"What, do you want to watch? I'm afraid I don't like having an audience." She laughed, shaking her head in disbelief at what he had just said.

"No, that's not it. Here, I'll rephrase it." He said, standing from the bed and taking 2 steps forward so he was standing beside where she lay "I want you to do to me what you do to Draco." He added in the same sultry tone he used on her earlier.

"I'm not following... you want me to what?" she asked, her brows furrowed in confusion; Blaise didn't make a lot of sense when he had a few drinks in him

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" he remarked, finally catching her eyes. It was an expression she hadn't seen from Blaise in a very long time... not since they were dating; it suddenly hit her.

"Excuse me?" she breathed in shock. "Are you asking me to sleep with you?"

"Actually, I'm not asking; I'm telling you." He replied smartly, a coy smirk on his lips as he took another step closer. "It's nothing near as bad as what I'm making Draco do. This is apparently nothing to you now, so I figure it's a decent agreement."

"Absolutely not!" she snarled, turning away from him to grab her wand, but to her horror, it floated away from her and right into Blaise's hand. He smirked at her and dropped it on the floor at the end of the bed. _This isn't going to be good..._

"See, the way I see it Daphne." He started, moving closer to her personal space. "You more or less owe me. You denied me for months, and then I find out that you end up handing it all over to a guy you're not even dating." He paused, looking down at her with dark eyes. "And since now you owe me again, I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone."

"Blaise, this is ridiculous. You're drunk, and you haven't a clue what you're saying." She tried to reason, attempting to distract him as she swung her feet out of the bed, ready to run or attack him if necessary. "If only you could hear your reasoning, you would-" Blaise cut her off with his lightning-fast reflexes had her arms tightly locked in his own grip.

"Nice try." He said patronizingly "And by the way, I believe it is _your_ reasoning that is flawed. This is not a complex task; you either do as I say, or lose all your friends and reputation to the wrath of one very jealous and possessive girlfriend."

"Blaise, my answer is no. I am _not_ doing this." Daphne replied through a locked jaw, trying to hide the fear that was starting to build up in her mind.

"That's too bad." He said in an even tone. "It would have been much easier if you said yes." And then he gave her a firm shove backwards onto the bed again. He was on top her in an instant, and despite how much alcohol he had had, he was still practically impossible to move.

"Blaise, I said _no_!" she hissed, digging her nails into his shoulders and neck as she tried to free herself from his weight, but he was far too strong for her. She felt him tug down her pyjama pants, and she instantly felt all the air escape her lungs.  
_  
Oh God, this can't be happening! I can't get him off! _She thought frantically, now hitting and punching every inch of him that she could reach, shouting at him to get off of her. _Maybe if I relax, it won't be so bad! _She thought, her body trying to stop the pain it was experiencing from his ever-constricting pressure he was pushing on her to stop her from moving. For a brief moment, she did stop struggling, and just closed her eyes. _He can ruin you with what he knows! If you get this out of the way, then you won't have to worry about it ever again. _She tried to reassure herself. It wasn't until she felt the sharp pain of force that this reasoning was abandon.

"BLAISE! STOP IT!" she screamed, thrashing and punching as much as she could, desperate to at least making him break his concentration long enough to push him off. At last, after 4 more sharp pains like she was being stabbed ran through her body, she managed to hit him in the jaw, causing him to swear in pain and briefly stop pressing her to the bed. In that split-second of release, she threw her weight forward, causing him to lose balance and fall back from her. Out of anger and fury, she stood up and kicked him square in the jaw where she had just hit him, and revelled as she watched him swear and crumple in pain. She yanked her pants back up, ignoring the pain, and leapt forward to get her wand from the ground only inches away from him. He hadn't even noticed that she was up and moving, and therefore was taken by surprise when she delivered yet another kick, this time to his stomach. He let out a strained breath, and then promptly vomited on the floor, the stench of red wine and ale filling her nostrils almost making her vomit.  
_  
Be rational! You can't keep wailing on him all night! _Her conscious screamed at her. Daphne paused and looked down at him, the light at the end of his wand still lit, but now rolled under the bed. She knew that she had to punish him, but she also knew that he could still very well out her secret to everyone in the Malfoy Manor if he wished. Without further thought, she stepped forward and grabbed his arm. She jinxed Blaise's wand to make it float beside them, and the turned back to Blaise.  
"Do you swear to never mention what you saw this morning to anyone except Draco and I, and in private!" she demanded, her nails digging into his hand.

"Draco already got me with an Unbreakable vow; I don't need two." Blaise managed between wretches. Daphne could see blood in his vomit, and she wasn't sure if that was from the kick to the face or to the stomach.

"Fine." She said, levitating his wand over by the door and letting it drop. "Then I want you to swear to me that you will never try that again, _ever_!" she demanded.

"All I did was want you." He mumbled to himself before he threw up again on her carpet. The smell was simply revolting, and Daphne tried hard to hold back her gag reflex.

"SAY IT!" she shouted, wanting to get away from him as soon as possible.

"FINE!" he shouted back at her, now coughing a little to get to taste of vomit out of his throat "I swear, ok?" he growled.

Daphne looked at him, then threw his hand out of her own and stood up. "Now you owe me." She stated sharply "If you _ever_ make me angry, I'll go straight to the Ministry with what you just did. And you'll go right to Azkaban, where you belong." She threatened, glaring down at him. Blaise seemed to understand the seriousness of what he had just done at last, and threw up again, this time more on himself then the floor. "I want you out of my room by the time I'm back." She demanded, and then turned on her heel and stormed out of her room.

She only made it a few rooms down before the shock of what just happened started to take over her mind, and she had to lean against the wall or risk fainting. Everything flew through her mind in a blur, and she felt her stomach wretch with nerves. She gripped her stomach in defiance, but heard someone vomit, who she assumed to be herself. But when she looked into the palm of her hand, which was covering her mouth, there was nothing. It was now that she noticed the door that was open ajar just ahead of her. Curiously, she silently crept forward and pushed the door open more; there was Theodore, crouched over a bucket in the corner of his room.  
"Oh, Theodore..." Daphne sighed, her shock and worry escaping her mind at the sight of her friend so ill. She stepped forward and knelt beside him, which made him jump a little in surprise. "It's just me. I just wanted to make sure you're alright." She said quietly. Theodore's face was as white as the pages of a book, and his eyes were sunken and red.

"I'm sorry I look so horrid." He mumbled before he threw up again into the bucket. By now, the smell had no effect on her, and she simply sighed and rubbed his back soothingly as he emptied the contents of his stomach again.  
_  
Good thing the Malfoy's have a reliable house elf or two to clean this up tomorrow... _She thought, sighing to herself as she pulled herself into a tight ball, and stroked Theodore's back until he eventually drifted off to sleep on the edge of the bucket half an hour later. Daphne wished she could sleep now, but she didn't think she would be able to sleep for a while now...

**_AN: Alright, so I hope that wasn't too bad... or explicit. I mean, I tried to make it as detailed as possible without being TOO detailed... I'm not writing a harlequin novel here..._**

**_I had some song inspiriation this chapter!! Stripped by Shiny Toy Guns (originally Depeche Mode) inspired the forest scene... well, the scene leading up to it too. I just find the song so sexy! I don't know why! It's going to be used as inspiration in a later scene as well._**

ALSO!!! I have photoshopped some pictures of a couple stars (Hayden Pantiere... however you spell it, and Kristen Stewart) to show how I picture Astoria and Daphne. I'm not sure how to post it to my profile/story, so I'm wondering if any of you know how!! I have a photobucket account, i just need to know where and how to post a link to this story or my profile.

REVIEW C'EST VOUS PLEZ! J'AIME LES REVIEWS!!! :)


	22. Year 7 Part 3

**_AN: Alrighty! Update time!  
First off, obviously this story is not going to be finished by the end of the year. So you're all in luck; you will have at least another 2 months of Daphne-Drama._**

Second, I have 4 pictures on my profile page. The first 2 are of Daphne (I got bored and fooled around with some pictures), making more or less a combination of how I picture her. The 3rd is Astoria, and she is exactly how I imagined her. The last picture is NOT done by me, but I found on the internet. It is EXACTLY how I picture Draco to look and act, so i figured I would share it with you.

Third! I am in the middle of exams right now, so I will probably not update until after the 20th, since I should probably attempt to study...maybe.

Alright, onward!

Daphne stirred in her sleep; she was uncomfortable, and she felt throbbing pain all over her body. As she pulled herself out of unconsciousness, she squinted her eyes at the bright sunlight. When she moved, she felt another wave of pain shoot through her.  
_Where am I? _She thought as she blinked through the sunlight again, sitting up despite the pain. She had been lying on her side, passed out beside a bucket filled with vomit; the smell of it instantly brought back the memory of how she got here. Leaning on the bucket, passed out and snoring, was Theodore, who still looked extremely sick. She moved again to get away from the smell and accidently nudged Theodore with her foot, causing him to wake instantaneously, his eyes wide with fear and readiness to fight.  
"Whoa, Theodore!" Daphne breathed quickly as he balled his fists, like he was ready to strike whoever disturbed him. "It's just me."

"Oh... hey Daphne." He managed, now relaxing his muscles as leaning back on the bucket's edge. His voice sounded strained and hoarse, and she was sure he was going to be sick again. "How are you feeling this morning? I bet a lot better than I am..." he muttered, looking in the bucket, gagging a little, and then pushed the bucket as far away from him as he could.

"I dare say I am... why did you drink so much last night?" Daphne asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Long story." He said, pushing the bucket away from him and crawled over to the wall 2 feet behind him, leaning against that for support now. He looked at Daphne now, who was rubbing her forehead in pain at the headache that was flooding into her. "What happened to you?" he asked in a concerned tone.

Daphne stopped rubbing her forehead and looked up at him. "What are you talking about?" she mumbled.

"Your arms." Theodore remarked in a low voice; apparently he recognised what they were, and his eyes were instantly locked on her face as he watched her reaction. Daphne looked down at her arms and saw two giant bruises on her arms in the exact spot where Blaise had held her down. The thought of Blaise brought back the rush of anxiety, and she instantly started to feel an inward panic. "Daphne, how did you get those?" Theodore pressed quietly, apparently very concerned, but felt he wasn't in a good enough condition to move forward and check on her.

"It's nothing Theodore." She breathed quietly, standing slowly with the support of the nearby bed frame.

"Daphne, how-"

"_Please _Theodore." She hissed out of desperation to stop his questions. His eyes, however, told her that it was not working. "I don't need you involved in this."

"Involved in what?" he quipped back, his tone sharp and almost angry. "Daphne, who are you trying to protect?" he added, gripping his bedside table and helping himself to his feet.

"Sit down Theodore; you'll hurt yourself." Daphne whispered quietly, gripping the post of his four-post bed for support; she thought she was going to be sick, or pass out.

"I'm fine." He answered in an instant "Tell me what happened. Who did this?" he questioned, now standing right beside her.

"I can't tell you." She replied curtly. He opened his mouth to say something else, but she cut him off before he could start "Theodore, stop asking me questions!" she demanded, gripping the post harder. She took 3 deep breaths to compose herself, then looked back at him, his worried brown eyes waiting for an answer. "This situation is messed up as it is. I don't need you involved in it too." She breathed slowly.

"I don't understand what situation leads to _that_." He said, nodding his head to her arms.

"You don't even know what these are, Theo." Daphne mumbled, turning her head away from him to look out the window; it couldn't be any later than 9 in the morning.

"Don't I?" Theodore asked quietly. She turned her head back to him, eye's wide in fear for a moment. He took a step forward, and when he saw her jump back from him, he held his hands up in peace "I'm not going to touch you." He said quietly, taking another step forward. Still standing about 2 feet apart, he turned his hands and held them at level with her injuries, and clenched his fingers to look like he was holding someone in his hands. A cold flash of memory flew over Daphne's body and she took another step back. "It's not that hard to see, Daphne." He whispered quietly, putting his arms down at the sight of her expression.

"Theodore, I can't involve you in this..." she sighed, looking at the floor now. "You are one of my best friends, and it's because of that that I can't involve you." She looked up briefly to meet his eyes; he didn't look convinced. _Just like Tracey, I can't risk putting you in this plot. _She thought solemnly. She wished she _could _confide in Theodore, or better yet Tracey! _But if Pansy found out... _her mind trailed off into a scenario that she didn't want to think about.

"Daphne, you are practically _family_ to me." Theodore said, his voice sounded almost like a plea. "I can't stand the thought of knowing that someone did that to you, and I can't do anything!"

"I appreciate what you're offering, Theo, I really do..." she trailed off and released the post she had been gripping so tight for the past few moments. "But I don't think I could live with the weight of you killing someone for me." She smiled weakly at him.

"You know me too well, don't you." Theodore mumbled, smirking a little.

"I don't want you to ever kill someone, even if it is for me." Daphne said sternly.

"If I swear to it, will you tell me who attacked you?" Theodore offered.

"No." She replied in the same stern voice.

"Then I can't promise anything." He replied in a tone that mimicked hers.

"Damn it Theodore, why are you so determined to know!" she hissed, turning away from him and starting towards the door. Theodore scuttled in front of her to block her path.

"Daphne, I want to know because I want to _protect_ you." He paused and looked at her with his honey brown eyes "If you won't tell me, then fine. But if I ever _do_ find out who it was, I will be taking some form of action against him, whether you like it or not."

"Fine. Do what you want Theodore." Daphne sighed in defeat. She just wanted to end this conversation already! She started to walk around him, heading towards the door again but this time she stopped a few steps away "Do you have a sweater I can borrow? I can't wear the one that I wore 2 days ago..." Theodore nodded and kicked open his trunk, the pulled out a long-sleeved black cardigan, which he handed to her in silence. "Thanks." She muttered quietly before she exited the room, vaguely aware that he was watching her the entire time.

Thankfully (or so Daphne thought...), the giant gathering of Voldermort supporters disbanded 2 days later without any more dramatics. She and Draco managed to see each other early the morning her family was to depart back to their own home. And although she tried to keep her sweater on as long as possible, it did end up coming off, and Draco too saw the bruises on her arms.  
"Wow, how did you get those?" he asked, pausing from ravishing her with kisses for what might be the last time until September.

Daphne opened her mouth to tell him, but stopped herself at first. "I probably shouldn't tell you... since he might blackmail us for it."

"Oh... did you refuse to pay up?" Draco remarked, staring at her injured arm for a moment.

"Something like that, yeah..." Daphne mumbled. "But we've come to an arrangement where if he breathes a word of what he knows about it, I'll make sure he finds his ass in Azkaban before he even knows what's happening."

"Clever, but I'm not sure that will stop him. You know Blaise; if he knows he's going to prison, he'll shout out every piece of incriminating evidence he can lay his tongue to in order to take someone else with him."

"But this won't put us in prison." Daphne remarked with a coy little smile, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"But having Pansy _kill_ us will make her his cellmate." Draco pointed out in a low voice. Daphne frowned, dropped her arms, and gently slipped out of his grip, walking away and taking a seat on her window bench.

"If you weren't still _attached_ to her, we wouldn't have to worry about her..." she muttered loud enough for him to hear.

"I hate it as much as you do, Daphne-"

"Clearly you _don't_ if you're still dating her." She quipped back. Draco crossed his arms and looked at her sternly.

"I've told you hundreds of times, Daphne! As soon as my family is able to operate on our own terms, without the Dark Lord making outrageous demands of us, then we won't need the Parkinson's anymore, and I can dump her."

"And when will that day be? Another year? Maybe 3 or 4 years?" Daphne asked, her eyes reflecting her lack of amusement. "I'm sick of running around and hiding everything..." she mumbled, glancing out the window at the vast green lawn of the Malfoy Manor. "All I want is a normal, _real _relationship with you, Draco. I could care less about her."

"Daphne, this is real." He reassured her, now appearing beside her, staring out the window as well. "It's as real as I can make it right now." He put his hand on her shoulder soothingly, and much to her dismay, her body began to swoon and relax under his touch. "And if you really didn't care about what Pansy thought or did, then you would have told someone by now."

"It is out of respect for you that I don't tell anyone." She hissed, her voice sounding angrier then she wanted it to. She took a deep breath and composed herself again, trying to think or something to cover up that lie. "I don't need Pansy, or any of the other Slytherins; all I need is you." She said, slowly turning back to him "I don't think you understand how I feel about you..."

"I don't think _you_ understand how very lonely it would be without the rest of our house to talk to." Draco chuckled. "What if Tracey and Theodore abandon you if they found out?"

"They would understand." Daphne muttered.

"I think you overestimate people's understanding." Draco smirked before he gave her a kiss on the forehead. "You know that I want you, but I can't settle anything now. So long as my family is dependent on the Parkinson's, I-"

"Have to stay with Pansy, I know..." Daphne waved her hand in annoyance and stood from the window bench, now walking over to her trunk and slamming the lid closed. "You don't need to repeat it every time; it only serves as a reminder of how much control she has over you."

Now Draco looked angry. "She does_ not_ have control over me!" he growled, narrowing his eyes at her.

"So you're _willingly_ staying with her?" Daphne questioned, raising her eyebrows at his reaction.

Draco opened his mouth, but the voice of Daphne's father calling her from his room cut him off.  
"Let's go, Daphne! We don't have all day!" he called in his low voice that seemed to vibrate the walls.

"That's my hint to hurry up." She sighed as she closed her trunk. Then, she turned back to Draco and smiled a little; he still looked angry about her remark, but she ignored it. "I just think you need to understand everything I've been through to be with you." She said quietly, holding her injured arms out as an obvious argument behind her point.

"Technically, I think Blaise would have done that _without_ the excuse of blackmail." Draco remarked, giving Daphne a quick chill.

"Well, there are other things too." Daphne replied matter-of-factly. "I've had to lie, I've had to deceive my best friends, and I've had to take Silp-" she immediately froze. "Oh _shit!_" she breathed, running into the bathroom. She flung open the drawer under the sink and grabbed the red fabric bag; it was indeed still filled with the purple powder. "Damn it!" she cursed, running back into the room. "Give me that crystal vase." She demanded, pointing at the flower vase about 4 feet away from Draco. He looked at her with a very confused expression, but handed her the clear container with lilies in it. She threw the flowers out of it and dumped the contents of the red bag into the water, swirled it around, and started to chug back the now lilac-coloured water. It went down rather easy, but as soon as stopped drinking, she felt a sharp pain like she was stabbed in the stomach. She swore loudly and put the vase on the desk beside her.

"What was that!?" Draco asked, watching in confusion as Daphne gripped the edge of the desk in pain.

"What keeps you and me out of trouble..." she managed through a locked jaw. The pain in her stomach seemed to let up, and she stood up straight again, slowly letting her grip on the desk up. "Doesn't help much if it's 3 days late, but it does its job."

"Yeah, but what _is_ it? And keeps us out of _what_ trouble?" Draco asked, now ever more confused.

"Daphne, NOW!" her father called angrily from down the hall.

"I'll tell you when you're older." Daphne remarked smartly in a panic as she ran across the room, threw on a long-sleeved shirt, and charmed her trunk so it would float behind her. "I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express." She smiled as she ran back to him and gave him one more kiss before she ran out the door, her trunk levitating a foot after her.

Her father was waiting out in the hall with his arms crossed, as she expected. "What took you so long?" he demanded, giving her a small push in the direction of the staircase.

"I wasn't feeling well..." Daphne muttered.

"Well that's no excuse, Daphne. Your mother and sister have been waiting downstairs for 10 minutes." Lennox snapped.  
_  
No point in arguing with him... he has no point anyways. _Daphne thought. Once they got to the bottom of the stairs, she could see the chaos as everyone cleared out of the Malfoy Manor after their long-weekend retreat and attempted to return to their homes. Lucius and Narcissa stood in the centre of the hallway, watching with clearly mixed emotions as people whisked past them with their luggage, while others were dragging hostages behind them towards the drawing room. And then, through the mass of people, Daphne could see the almost identical expressions of her impatient and annoyed mother and sister.

"Took you long enough." Astoria replied snarkily. Daphne only made a face at her and dropped her trunk only inches from Astoria feet.

"Are we leaving now?" Medea remarked sourly as she picked at her nails. The excitement of seeing all the pure blood families all at once had worn off her within the first 24 hours, and she was desperate to return to her fashionable retreat she called home, where the world could revolve around her life only.

"Yes, after we say good-bye to Lucius." Lennox hissed before he turned around and waved over his patron. As Lucius and Narcissa walked towards them, Draco joined them from the staircase; now all three Malfoy's were walking over to see off their employees. "Thank you for showing us such a lovely time while you opened your home to the cause." Lennox smiled generously; Lucius only cracked a small smile and shook his hand.

"Good bye Narcissa," Medea smiled tightly. "It was lovely to speak to someone who has the same view of the world as me at last."

"Anytime, Medea. And it was lovely to see your daughters again." She remarked coolly. She looked first at Astoria and smiled that same adoration smile that everyone gave her. "What a lovely young lady you're becoming Astoria; so beautiful and charming."

"Thank you Mrs. Malfoy." Astoria smiled brightly, putting on her best innocent act for the adoring audience. Daphne only rolled her eyes.

"And of course who could forget your _other _daughter." Narcissa smiled like it was some secret joke.  
_  
Clearly you, since my name is not 'other daughter'... _Daphne thought, but forced a smile as she waited to hear what, if any, compliment Draco's mother would give her.

"I hear you are quite the witch from my son." She said, putting her hand gently on Draco's shoulder, who made a small face at her babying him. "I'm sure you'll go places with your talent."  
_  
Oh, if only you knew what talents your son was referring to... _Daphne thought with a small smirk. Like he heard her thoughts, Draco caught her eye and smirked as well. "Thank you Mrs. Malfoy. I'm flattered that Draco speaks so highly of me," she paused as she caught his eye again. "But I can assure you that he has skills that far outreach mine."

"Oh, we know all about Draco's skills. He proved himself last year..." he paused for a moment before he added "More or less" Under his breath. Draco still heard it and turned his head like his father had shouted it to him, his face showing just how appalled he was.

"Well, we'll be off then. See you at work, Lucius." Lennox chuckled before he snapped his fingers and made a house elf take the trunks to their home.

As she tuned out her father barking orders at the elf, Lucius and Draco hissing words at eachother, and Narcissa raving to Medea about how gorgeous Astoria was, Daphne turned her head and looked down the vastly crowded hall of the Malfoy Manor. It would have looked like the halls of the Ministry, all jumbled and no order to them whatsoever, had it not been for the single figure that stood out and locked eyes with her instantly. Like she had been thrown into the Black lake in December, her body suddenly felt cold, and she could feel herself shaking. Lennox saw his daughter's expression and looked down the hall to see what she was staring at, then looked back at her in confusion. "Daphne, you look strange; what's the matter?" he asked gruffly.  
_  
How surprising that he actually noticed. _Her mind laughed. But her eyes did not move from the incoming threat. She knew that her father had expected to see Voldermort walking towards them, but this was an enemy much closer to home for Daphne. As the trembles grew stronger, she also felt the quick stabbing pain through her gut that made her double over slightly in pain.

"Daphne, what _is_ your problem?" Medea hissed quietly. Daphne ignored her and looked back up; Blaise was now close enough that she could see his white teeth in a wide smile as he stuck his hand out to say something to Draco; he had a black eye from where she had struck him in the face with her foot, and Draco asked him about it. But despite this question, he still kept his eye contact with Daphne.

"I don't feel well." She breathed. "I'll see you at home." She added a little louder. And then, she closed her eyes firmly, heard the loud pop, and then a second later landed with a thud in the living room of her home.

Now safely out of sight of her family, she ran upstairs to her room and into her bathroom, throwing herself in front of the toilet as she breathed frantically, trying to calm her stomach and head. Her heart raced as she could feel the sweat pouring off of her; she had never felt so afraid in her life.  
"He's gone... he's gone, Daphne... just calm down..." she breathed to herself as she leaned her head against the cold tile wall. About 5 minutes later, she heard the loud voices of her family downstairs, and she kicked her bathroom door closed; no doubt they would come looking for her.  
_Maybe it's just because I took the Silphium powder so late... _she thought as she felt a wave of nausea sneak up on her and almost escape. The sudden sound of a fist wrapping on the other side of her door made her jump a little.

"What on earth is the matter with you?" her mother asked as she opened the door, not even waiting to hear if she was allowed to come in.

"I feel sick." Daphne grumbled as she leaned over the toilet again. "Is that such a crime?"

"It _is_ if you decide to disappear in the middle of a conversation. Especially with the Malfoy's!" her mother hissed angrily.

"Would you rather that I _vomited _on them?" Daphne remarked smartly.

Medea pursed her lips and stared at her daughter as she hung her head into the toilet. "I would _rather_ that you not bring so much attention to yourself." She replied in the same icy tone.

"Oh, give it a rest mother." Daphne sighed, sitting up from the water, her stomach now settling again. "Everyone agreed that your pride and joy made a marvellous impression on everyone she met, and is bound to have a marriage offer the second she turns of age."

Her mother smiled to herself for a moment, then returned her wrath to Daphne. "Well, you'll be lucky if you ever get married with the impression _you're_ giving everyone."

"What does it matter, Mother? If any man that wanted to marry me, you would see him as 'unsuitable' to the family." She sighed and leaned her head back against the cold wall again "After all, that's what you and father thought about Blaise, right?" At the very mention of his name, the bile rose up and she had to fling herself onto the toilet again, and this time she was actually sick. Her mother hissed something about trying to keep the house clean, but Daphne ignored her.

"What on earth have you been eating!?" Medea demanded when she saw the colour of her vomit; it was a dully, murky purple. Daphne felt all the colour drain from her face even more so, and she instantly pulled the chain above her head to flush the toilet and the evidence.

"Nothing... I had a lot of candy last night with Theodore... he was sick from it too." She lied, standing from the toilet and now leaning over the sink as she ran some cold water and splashed it over her face.

"I doubt _that_ would made him sick." Medea laughed cruelly. Daphne looked up from the sink and glared at her mother in the mirror. "Whatever possesses a boy of that age to drink so much, I'll never know, but he was _quite_ the embarrassment for Tobias!"

"Perhaps it's being in the company of people like you. Besides, this was 2 days later!" Daphne growled as she stood from the sick and stormed out of the bathroom, collapsing on her bed.

"How dare you talk to me like that!" Medea screeched as she followed her out of the bathroom. Daphne rolled her eyes and covered her head with a pillow. "Your little friend caused a lot of trouble that night... in fact, all of you acted like heathens... except Astoria, of course."

"Of course... dare I ask how we were acting like heathens?" Daphne muttered into the pillow before she rolled over and faced the wall, away from her mother.

"Well between Theodore and Blaise drinking half the wine at the party," Daphne had to hold down more vomit at the mention of his name "And Draco and the Parkinson girl were dancing like... oh, it was ridiculous! I was tempted to tell them to get a room!"

Daphne rolled over and sat up in shock at what she heard. "Draco and Pansy?" she breathed, holding her stomach again.

"Yes. They were disgraceful in you ask me... thank _God _Astoria hangs out with a much more civilized crowd." Medea said haughtily.  
_  
Of course Astoria is the perfect example of manners... _Daphne thought, but found that her mind wouldn't let her speak.  
Draco _and_ Pansy. _They were together!? WHEN! I didn't see- _She cut herself off when she realized it must have been after she retired for the evening. _Oh, I could RIP HER FACE OFF! _She thought bitterly as she tightened her knuckles around the blankets on her bed.

"If you're going to be sick, get back in the bathroom!" Medea shouted as she watched her daughters face transform from confusion to what Daphne thought was rage... until the purple liquid spewed out of her mouth onto the grey carpet. The last thing Daphne heard before she found herself lying in the bathroom was her mother's piercing screams, then her father's voice booming with anger, and finally the door of the bathroom slamming behind her.

"So you puked _all over_ the floor?" Tracey asked as they pushed their way through the crowded halls of the train to get a car.

"Not _all_ over, but yes... and my mother made me scrub it until it nearly peeled off the floor." Daphne sighed, kicking open a door to a car, scaring out the 3rd years that were sitting there first. She slid her trunk under her seat and flopped back into the seat and sighed.

"But what made you sick in the first place? You still haven't told me that." Tracey pressed as she sat across from her. Outside the train, the atmosphere of platform 9 ¾ had changed dramatically since this time last year. Since Dumbledore had fallen, many families had refused to let their children go back to Hogwarts. Others, like the Slytherin pureblood families, revelled in the thought of a purified school run by Snape, and were more than happy to send their little darlings back to Hogwarts. For some, like Daphne and Tracey, who were finally in their last year, it was a chance to show off their strengths; and in a school where the rules no longer applied to them, it meant that there was nothing stopping them.

"Oh... uh, all the rich food that the Malfoy's were serving us." Daphne made up as she looked away from the depleting crowd outside "I'm not used to such finery." She smiled weakly.

"And you want to marry him?" Tracey giggled. "Well, at least you'll stay thin... being sick so often apparently has that effect on people."

"So I've heard..." Daphne smiled as she turned her head to look back on the platform. Only one Weasley was there, and she was unaccompanied by the Potter Trio. "Strange..."

"What is?" Tracey asked, craning her neck to try and see what she saw outside the window.

"Only the Weasley girl is here. I wonder where the others are." Daphne wondered aloud.

"Maybe they're already on the train. Surely Granger out of all of them wouldn't miss a year of school!" Tracey said as she settled back into her seat. "Did you know that Blaise had a thing for Ginny at one time?"

"Is that her name?" Daphne breathed at the mention of his name. She had gotten better over the past month at not letting her mind get the best of her body, no longer shaking or feeling sick when she thought about him. Her skin colour, however, she could not control...

"Yeah, apparently he has a thing for red heads." She smirked at Daphne, who stared back blankly. "What's wrong Daph? You look pale."

"Nothing... I'm just tired." Daphne muttered.

"Astoria keeping you up with her new boyfriend?" Tracey teased "I've always pictured her as a loud person in bed-"

"_Please_ Tracey, do _not_ put that visual in my head!" Daphne pleaded, shaking her head rapidly like she was trying to rattle out the mental image.

Tracey, of course, only laughed, and slouched down in her seat. She sighed and checked her watch with slight irritation. "Theodore is late, as usual..." she muttered, taking her wand and winding a lock of her dirty blond hair.

"You know people burn their hair off doing things like that." Daphne smirked at her best friend. Tracey only made a small face and made a point of turning her hair even faster around her wand.

Theodore didn't show up in their car until the train was out of London. When Tracey asked where he was, he initially ignored the question and took a seat beside her, ruffling his own hair and sighing like he had just completed a dreadful task.  
"I was trying to convince Blaise to come here, but he's acting all weird." He said before he rammed his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small bag of sweets. "He's gone and sat with the others... I guess that makes sense, but he usually sits with us every year."

"I wonder what brought about the change..." Tracey pondered. Daphne was happy that neither their voices or expressions seemed to hint that Daphne was the reason he was staying away... or at least that is what she assumed.  
_  
No doubt he noticed how I apparated away from him at the Malfoy's... not to mention he probably thinks I'll start screaming and crying... which I might. _A thought suddenly occurred to Daphne that apparently had escaped her over the past few weeks. _Oh my God, how am I going to avoid him all year!? It's a big enough school, but not a big enough dormitory! _She heard herself take in a sharp breath, which drew the attention of Theodore and Tracey.

"You feeling alright Daphne?" Theodore questioned, his eyes taking a quick glance over her exposed arms, which were now healed. Daphne prayed that he didn't put it all together in that moment.

"Daphne, if you're tired, then go to sleep." Tracey suggested, tossing her the hoodie she had been carrying around with her. Daphne nodded her head slowly and balled the sweater up to make a pillow, then leaned over and let her head rest. Although she wasn't the slightest bit tired, if she could pretend to sleep, then Tracey and Theodore wouldn't be able to question her strange behaviour.

For the first time in 5 years, the sorting ceremony actually held some interest to the Slytherin's. For starters, having their former head-of-house as the new Head Master, there were several new rules instigated immediately for all students.  
First, the students all had to sit in sections based on their years, and in ascending or descending order towards the staff table. The eldest Gryffindors were seated practically under the staff table, while Daphne and her Slytherin classmates were seated far at the back of the Great Hall.

"Apparently he doesn't see us as much of a threat." Theodore remarked as he settled in the newly assigned order. The other tables, who had significantly smaller numbers this year, were all muttering and cursing things under their breath as they too rearranged themselves. In particular, the eldest Gryffindors were making rude comments and bitter faces as they sat right under Snape's nose at the front of the hall.

The second rule was that all students were to be in their dormitories by 9pm or 'face the consequences of the new punishment regime'.  
"Wonder what that means? Think they're going to start hanging people by their thumbs again?" Tracey laughed.

"Or maybe they'll use Crucio on some of those naughty Gryffindors... surely these rules don't apply to us." Pansy said lightly as she picked a piece of lint of Draco's shirt.

"Hopefully not." Draco remarked coolly as she poured himself another glass of pumpkin juice. He caught Daphne's eye for a moment, and they both were apparently thinking the same thing; sneaking around was either going to get easier... or harder.

"The third rule is that all students will submit to random searches of mail and belongings for security purposes of the school." Snape announced like he was teaching a lesson. Neville shouted something, which was met with a glare from Snape and Gryffindor's house points already in the red. "Aside from those rules, all other school rules still apply. After the feast is finished, you will all leave the Great Hall in an _orderly_ fashion, following your head of house." He added before he sat down, waved his hand lazily like he was dismissing someone, and the remainder of their food appeared before them.

"Well, this year ought to be interesting, eh Daphne?" Blaise called from a few seats away. She felt her hands shake a little, and she fought desperately to fight her nerves off. When she looked over at him, she saw that Draco too had a similar expression of worry. Despite having paid off Blaise, he still had both of them in his control... especially Draco!

"Probably..." she replied weakly before she turned back to her food. She clenched her free hand under the table, desperate to keep hold of her emotions and nerves, or risk exposing this great mess that she had gotten herself into to everyone...

"I daresay it will be quite a different school with Potter around, won't it?" Tracey said to her housemates. Malfoy smirked and said something that Daphne couldn't hear, but it made Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy howl with laughter.

"I see your girlfriend, the Weasley girl is still here though." Pansy smirked at Blaise, who narrowed his eyes and gave her the finger.

"You twist my words, Pansy. I never said I wanted her, I just said she looked good... better than the rest of that house." He paused and turned to Draco "I'm sure Malfoy would agree." Draco made a face like he had just be insulted (which he had) "Admit it; if she wasn't a Weasley, and if she wasn't in Gryffindor, you would fancy her too." He edged, his dark eyes focused on Draco's.

"I doubt it." He remarked shortly.

Blaise chuckled and turned his head back to his food. "That's not what you said three weeks ago." He said smartly. Draco instantly gave him a firm punch in the arm to shut him up, but of course the damage was done.

"Draco, you can't be serious!?" Pansy cried indignantly, her eyes angry and watery all at once.

"Oh, come on Pansy! It was only a game we were playing!" he sighed in frustration. Daphne now noticed Theodore trying very hard not to laugh at the sight, along with Tracey who was made a face to Daphne resembling Pansy's pained expression. "I don't find her attractive in the least! She may _look_ good, but she's _still_ a Weasley and is _still_ in Gryffindor. She might as well look like Hagrid for all I care; it would have the same affect on me."

The Slytherins all laughed heartily, including Pansy, who smirked a wide smile and kissed Draco for his good response. Daphne turned away from the sight and caught Tracey's eyes, who were watching her friend knowingly; as far as she knew, Daphne was still trying to get Draco's attention.

"Apparently red hair is the new blonde." Tracey remarked quietly, still smirking knowingly at her best friend. Daphne sniffed a quick laugh, and then continued to eat her pork.

As the Slytherin's expected, the school had completely changed. The new teachers (who Daphne recognised from the Malfoy Manor in July) out-right favoured the Slytherin house, and they were destroying all other houses in the race for the house cup, leading 200 points ahead of the others. The teachers that remained on staff from last year, however, made sure to try and bring Slytherin down as much as possible, attempting to find any and every excuse to get them in trouble.

Having Slughorn as their head of house was much stricter than any of them expected. They had hoped he would also show them favour, but instead, he was just as bad as McGonagall or any of the other original teachers. He once caught Tracey sneaking out of the common room at 10:30 so that she could steal some bandages from the hospital wing to tie up Harper (who had been running his mouth about her family). She was served with 2 weeks of detention with Slughorn, helping him clean out cauldrons.

One night in October, despite the strict orders from Snape that all students were to be in bed by 11pm, Daphne was up at 1am, attempting to master the geminio charm. She had decided after Flitwick had raved about her skills on the first day back that she would attempt to pursue a career in the charms field, and therefore had to practice whenever she got the chance.  
"Stupid necklace..." she muttered as she tried to duplicate the necklace that her father gave her at the Malfoy Manor. Despite how much she hated her family sometimes, she wore this necklace with pride, as it was a symbol of not only her pureblood status, but that her family held no shame about their place in society. "Come on! _Geminio_!" she hissed again, pointing her wand at the silver pendant. It shuddered a little, glowed a light shade of red, then stopped moving. Daphne sighed in frustration and leaned her head against her fist in frustration.

Something moved across the common room, and Daphne felt herself unconsciously reach for her wand. "Hello!?" she breathed quietly, forgetting for a moment that she could get in trouble for being up this late. Just as she was about to stand for a better look, the movement was suddenly right beside her. She let out a quick scream and then fell backwards over her chair, landing with a dull thud onto her back. She coughed a little and tried to catch her breath, rolling over onto her stomach and pushing herself up onto her knees defensively.

"Daphne." A low and smooth voice said in the darkness. He didn't even need to step out of the shadows for her to know who it was. Her closed throat prevented her from letting out a scream, and she tripped on the leg of the chair as she tried to back away. And just as she feared, Blaise stepped forward and grabbed her arm, dragging her into the corner of the room. Daphne screamed for help, but he covered her mouth. "Don't scream, I'm not going to hurt you." He whispered frantically in her ear. Daphne, in hysterics, was kicking and poking her elbows in every direction she could, desperate to be free of his grasp. There was a noise from the portrait hole, and Blaise covered not only her mouth, but her nose as well. Now she couldn't breathe, and Daphne started to panic. "Daphne, keep quiet! Do you want to get detention for being out here." He hissed in her ear, but she still flailed. Finally, in frustration with her lack of co-operation, he pulled his wand from his pocket and pointed it at her throat. "Shut up!" he hissed again.

This time Daphne listened and she stopped attempting to shout. To her surprise, Blaise wasn't hurting her... in fact, he was _hiding _her. It was only when she saw Slughorn enter the common room in complete silence, scanning the room in search for troublesome students like Daphne, that she understood why Blaise wanted her silent. Although she could stop the screaming, she couldn't stop herself from shaking in fear... and not from Slughorn either. Blaise pulled her farther into the dark corner and held her arms against her side to prevent them from knocking anything with their trembles.

Slughorn examined a few things in the common room, including the necklace that Daphne had left on the table. He was now a mere 7 feet away from them; more than close enough for him to hear her breathing frantically, as she was. He picked up the locket, looked it over for a few moments, then set it down on the table and continued to scan the room. At one point, he looked directly towards the corner they were hiding in, which caused Blaise to freeze and tighten his grip on Daphne's arms. He seemed to notice something for a second, but then he apparently dismissed whatever he saw, and promptly turned away and left the common room. Daphne and Blaise remained frozen for a few moments after he left, and then Blaise let out a sigh of relief which made Daphne jump. His being so close to her was causing her body to react stronger than before, and now that Slughorn was gone, she could fight him off without fear of exposure.

"Daphne, stop it!" Blaise hissed as she started to flail about again. He walked out of their hiding place, dragging her with him, but she broke free.

"Get off of me!" she shouted as she pushed him away from her and she jumped over the couch, now standing a good 10 feet away from him. Now they stood across from each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Blaise made a point to set down his wand on the table and held his hands slowly up in line with his head.

"I came to apologise, Daphne." He said slowly.

"Apology not accepted!" she hissed at him. "You think you can wrestle me into a corner and then say sorry for being so violent before?!"

"I saved your _ass_ there!" Blaise said angrily, looking towards the portrait to make sure no one else was coming. "If I didn't know from experience that he comes to check the common room every morning at this time, you would have had one heck of a detention on your record." He said, still holding his hands up.

"That doesn't change what you've done!" Daphne shouted.

"Can you keep your voice _down_!?" Blaise whispered angrily, making a deliberate gesture to look over at the staircase to the dormitories. "We wouldn't want our secrets being exposed, now would we?"

"You had better keep your mouth _shut _about what you know!!" Daphne hissed, her eyes narrowed like daggers.

"That's why I'm here!" he hissed angrily, putting his hands down and walking to the edge of the couch that she stood behind. Daphne now snatched her wand off the floor and pointed it at him, but he wasn't even afraid. "I'm trying to keep my end of the bargain we made, but you're likely to give it away every time you look at me!"

"Should have thought about that before you ra-"

"Don't say it!" Blaise warned her "Or I'll tell everyone what you've been up too... adulteress."

Daphne dropped her jaw in shock, but her common sense prevented her from shouting at him. "Well what do you propose to do about it?"

"I told you; I want to apologise." Blaise said simply. Daphne glared at him still, but didn't say anything. "I was going to that day at the Malfoy Manor, but you freaked out! Don't think I didn't see the look on your face." He looked at her, and she looked away at the floor. "I didn't think you would ever react like that."

"That's because I'm scared of you." She whispered quietly. "I've never felt so much fear in my life... not only at the thought of that night-" she visibly cringed and crossed her arms like she was cold "But the power you hold! I feel like you've got a chokehold on me!"

"I feel the same way!" Blaise said, climbing onto his knees on the couch. "We apparently have each other in a stalemate. You want me to keep your secret affair secret, and I want you to keep my drunken _mistake_ a secret as well."

Daphne laughed and walked away from him, stopping in front of the fire. She could feel his eyes on her as he waited for an explanation. "Your 'drunken mistake', as you call it, was no mistake Blaise."

"Excuse me?"he growled.

"You told me yourself that very night." She stated sternly. "You told me 'all I did was want you', which leads me to believe you had this intention for some time."

"Yes, but not that exact intention."

"So you admit it?" she asked, turning from the fire and facing Blaise, who was now sitting on the couch.

Blaise looked at Daphne for a few moments, then looked at her entire body, and finally returned his eyes to hers. "I admit it freely."

Daphne let out an indignant breath and turned back to the fire. "So I still should live in fear of you?"

"No, no." Blaise said in frustration. "I didn't want that to happen! I just-" he cut himself off, and she turned around to see what he was waiting for. "I lost control."

"Making excuses doesn't change what you did." Daphne replied with a knife for a voice.

"I know that, but-"

"And I can't just forgive you for what you've done, Blaise." She added quickly "After all, if I forgive you for that, then what could I use against you for your silence?"

"Draco already made me take an Unbreakable Vow!" Blaise snarled. Daphne froze for a moment; she had forgotten about that. "I'm not allowed to talk about it to anyone except you and Draco. If anyone ever hears me say anything about it, then I'm dead." He replied spitefully. "If it weren't for all the wine I'd had that night, I wouldn't have taken that stupid vow..." he paused and looked Daphne straight into the eyes "Among other stupid things I wouldn't have done that night."

Daphne turned back to the fire for a moment, then took a deep breath and walked over to the couch, sitting on the opposite side, staring at Blaise with a dark expression. She could still feel her insides churning and her hands shaking ever-so-slightly as she stared at him, but she ignored it.  
"You know that just because I accept your apology doesn't mean I've forgive you _or_ that I will stop reacting the way I do."

"Well, you seem to be holding out pretty well so far." Blaise pointed out quietly.

"For now... I'm sure if you came close to me or tried to touch me, I might burst into tears." She said at the same volume level.

There was a long pause between them where they stared at each other. Daphne was trying to get all her fear out of her system by enduring being so close to him. But despite her bravery, her mind still set off loud alarms of warning and fear. At last, after a few minutes of silence, Blaise sighed and looked away from her and at the fire. "So do you accept my apology now?"

"So long as you never try anything of the sort again." Daphne replied immediately. "If I tell you no, I mean no."

Blaise looked at her curiously. "But what if it was willing?"

Daphne gave him a blank stare and then turned to the fire as well, trying to give her mind a break. "Do you mean what if I willingly was to sleep with you?"

"That's what I said." He replied evenly.

"I wouldn't push your luck, Blaise." Daphne muttered, still staring at the fire.

"Can I just say one thing?" he said abruptly. "For the record?" he added. Daphne slowly turned her head from the fire, her expression blank. She nodded her head, giving him permission to speak. "The way I want you, it's not the same what any of the others want you." He explained smoothly. Daphne's expression changed to slight confusion, but she let him continue. "I don't want you as a continual resource that I could use; I would only need you once."

"I don't think I want to hear anymore..." Daphne breathed quietly, feeling very awkward and slightly afraid again.

"Just let me finish." Blaise said in a low voice. "One time is all it would take."

"Are you suggesting that I become another one of your trophies?" Daphne said in a flat tone. "Sit on the same shelf as my sister?"

"Your sister came on to _me_." Blaise stated matter-of-factly, which Daphne rolled her eyes in disgust at, but was not surprised. "And it's not that I wouldn't want to keep you... it's just that you wouldn't want to keep me." Daphne looked surprised suddenly "You're far too in love with Draco to ever want to leave him." He stated quietly. "And I can see that you're determined to get him." He smirked a little, and Daphne looked down at the floor to escape his knowing gaze. "But I have one suggestion for you." He added smoothly. Daphne looked up anxiously as she waited for whatever piece of advice he was about to deliver her. "Before you marry him, make sure you see what it's like with someone else."

She felt her cheeks go scarlet red and she had to turn back to the floor again. Blaise chuckled at her reaction, but didn't do anything. She shook her head slowly at his words that were floating around in her mind, and looked back up again. "You know of course that I will never forget what you did, Blaise."

"I'm not expecting you to. I just what you to understand that if I were not intoxicated, I would not have done that." He nodded.

"And you still owe me! I can still ruin you if I want to, so you had best stay on my good side and do as I say." She added with a much fiercer undertone to her voice. Blaise only smirked at her for a moment, then replied in his usual smooth voice.

"I'm depending on it. It's what's going to make me _oblige_ to your request when you decide to take my advice."

Daphne sniffed a quick laugh out of shock, shaking her head slowly. "Glad to see you're sure of as yourself as ever..." she muttered, staring back at the fire. Blaise laughed heartily at her comment, but then trailed off and held his hand out in front of her vision.

"Are we at an agreement then?" he asked "Do you accept my apology?"

Daphne stared at his dark-skinned hand for a moment, then sighed and took it into her own and gave it one firm shake. Then she stood from the couch and walked over to the table, picking up her necklace from the table. Something occurred to her then, and she turned back to face him. "Why were you up so late?"

"It was the only time I was sure you would be alone so I could talk to you." He replied simply. "The entire house knows that you like to do all your work in the common room late at night... or at least, that's the impression everyone gets, since you're never in your dorm." He smirked slightly before he added. "Mind you, they also think the same things about Draco. I wonder how long it will take them to put two and two together."

"Goodnight Blaise." Daphne said sternly, giving him a sharp glare. He only laughed and turned back to the fire that he was now watching contently. Daphne sighed and gathered up the rest of her things and headed back up to her dorm.

When she crawled into bed, she wouldn't help but still feel the cold shivers of fear flow through her every few minutes. But she now had almost made her fear extinct, and she felt that she could indeed now face Blaise without showing how terrified she was.  
_He wants me, but he won't dare try anything of that kind again... even he's not that desperate. _She thought as she curled up into a tighter ball _Still... the thought of being at someone's mercy... to being indebted to someone like that... and to have no strength against them... _Her body gave an unconscious shiver again at the mere thought of how the situation could have turned out...

**_AN: Alright so that was a quick update. I hope to have the 7th year wrapped up in another 2 or 3 chapters (since there is little cannon detail for me to go on until the end of the year). And the we have one more summer after Daphne and Draco are finished their last year at Hogwarts.. and then we return to the present... where more drama is sure to ensue.... muahahaha! I now have the finished plan in my head of where the story is going to go... all I have to do is get it down onto paper.... er, keyboard._**

REVIEW PLEASE! You know it only motivates me to update faster :)  



	23. Year 7 Part 4

**_AN: Alright, just a quick little update. I'm not sure if I mentioned this earlier, but this year is a hard one to write. There is very little cannon detail, and all the exciting stuff happens at the end... and as much as I would love to skip ahead a few months, I'm afraid I don't want to :) But I will be at May 1st by the time the next chapter ends._**

SO, enjoy this little filler!

After their initial confrontation of each other, Daphne found she _was_ actually able to forgive Blaise for what he had done, though she would never admit it. Not only did she worry that if she did, he would begin to take more liberties in talking to her about it, but also she had bigger things to worry about... such as Draco had yet to invite her to sneak out with him. At first she thought that it was probably because they were at a higher risk to being caught, but by now, almost Christmas break, every Slytherin knew the nights that the Carrow's were on patrol, and that they would get away with anything!  
_  
What could possibly be holding him back? _She thought as she tapped her quill on the edge of her desk in Potions the last day of classes. She watched Draco making his potion, one of the best students in the class, and he was chatting with Blaise about something. Daphne could hardly hear over the noise in the room, but she did hear one word over all others; Pansy.  
_So that's who's keeping you from me... _Daphne thought with fury. _Well that can easily be fixed... _she thought as she looked down at her potion, simmering in the cauldron. Their assignment had been to make a potion that would be used against an enemy without the cause of death.  
Daphne had chosen the Swelling Solution; a simple, but evidently powerful distraction that could be used to escape from peril. When Slughorn wasn't looking, she dipped a small test tube into her potion, capped it off, and slipped it into her robe pocket. _This may be useful later... _she thought. Then she quickly switched cauldrons with one of the empty ones at the back and began to start from scratch on a different potion. _If I end up the only person who makes it, and Pansy winds up inflated, then it will be easy to spot who did it... _Daphne thought to herself as she began to gather the ingredients to make the Elixir of Euphoria, which surely would stop any enemy in their tracks.

Once time was up, Slughorn came around and looked at each of their potions, remarking to Draco that 'The draught of the living dead does not necessarily fit the instruction of not causing death, but it would be a valid use for diversion.' When he came around to Daphne's potion, he chuckled a little and gave it a quick stir. "I can't imagine why Snape thought you were bad at potions." He smiled as he poured a small test tube of her potion out and examined it in the light. "You did a fine job at creating this potion."

"Thank you professor." She replied sheepishly; she could have done a better job had she not been rushing, but this was the _only_ potion she was ever able to create successfully. He put a cork in the test tube and handed it to her.

"After all your hard work, you deserve to keep some of your creation." He smiled, then handed her the glass tube and continued on. Daphne smiled and put the glass container in her pocket... which gave a loud clank against the other test tube in her pocket. Slughorn turned around and looked at her curiously for a moment at the sound.

"...Forgot that my wand was in there..." she muttered quietly, and then took a seat again, pretending like nothing had happened. Slughorn stared at her for a moment more, but then turned back and looked at the contents of Corner's cauldron.  
_That was close..._she thought, sighing silently to herself. _But now I have _two_ potions that will be useful to me..._Daphne held on to her creation until the next day, waiting for an opportunity to use it. Tracey wondered what she was up to, being so sneaky and listening in to practically every conversation Pansy had in the past 24 hours.  
"What's you plan then?" she said to her the next morning, flopping onto the couch between Daphne's concentrated view of Pansy and her target. Daphne jumped out of surprise and then tried to divert the attention Tracey was attracting away by pretending to be reading a book.

"Nothing... not yet at least." She muttered under her breath.

"Well why haven't I been informed yet?" Tracey asked, her tone holding a secret meaning that her eyes reflected; she was slightly offended to not have been included. Daphne looked at her, then down to the book for a moment before she slammed it closed.

"To be honest Tracey," she started quietly. "I'm afraid you would give up information to her if you were pressured." Daphne whispered quietly, her voice sounding a tad bit sharp. All this waiting for Pansy to give up some sort of information was getting frustrating for her; all it did was torture her into watching Draco and Pansy snuggle and kiss.

"Wow, I didn't know you thought so little of me." Tracey laughed. "Do you think that I, the person that hates her almost as much as you, would give her information that would help her?" she paused before she laughed again.

"Well what if she swore to torture or ruin your family? That's her usual threat." Daphne asked under her breath, carefully looking over Tracey's shoulder to see that Draco and Pansy were indeed still whispering to each other at their table in the corner.

"And you think I would care?" Tracey laughed again. "My mother is practically a muggle now, and her family has done nothing but give us grief for it. It would be a very empty threat as far as I'm concerned."

Daphne sat in silence as she took in what her best friend was saying; if that was the case, and she didn't care what Pansy threatened, then perhaps she _could_ tell her about Draco!  
_No! I can't... Blaise knows, and that's enough for me! And he's sworn on pain of death to never tell...something, I am sad to say, Tracey is not...  
_"Well, I suppose I can tell you one thing..." Daphne thought aloud. Tracey clapped her hands lightly and beamed a bright smile. Daphne motioned for her to lean in a bit so they could whisper. When she was closer, she pulled out the test tubes that she had gotten from Slughorn. "One of these is Elixir of Euphoria, the other is Swelling Solution." She said presenting them inconspicuously. Tracey looked at them oddly for a moment before Daphne stashed them back in her pocket.

"What are you planning?" Tracey whispered, a smirk on her face.

"That somehow Pansy ends up 4 times the size she is now, and I spend an evening with a euphoric Draco." Daphne whispered casually.

Tracey giggled with excitement at the thought of Pansy inflating to the size of a couch. "How do you think you're going to do it?"

"Well, that's the part I'm stuck on... I mean, I can't just dump it on her... it makes it a little obvious who did it." Daphne sighed and slouched down in the couch; she could see that Draco and Pansy were no longer at the table. She sat up straight again, almost in a slight panic; they were heading for the dormitory doors. "Tracey, go find out what they're doing!" Daphne hissed as she pushed her up out of her seat and towards the dorms. Tracey looked very confused at first, but understood her mission immediately. She walked behind them, and once they noticed she was there, she excused herself between them and walked up the stairs to the girls dorms. Then, once Pansy and Draco parted half a minute later to their respective dorms, Tracey reappeared from the stairway and ran back across the common room, jumping over the back of the couch and landing on Daphne.

"They're meeting up tonight! After dinner!" Tracey divulged. "What do you think we can do?"

"I haven't a clue!" Daphne strained as she pushed Tracey off of her. "I mean, how does one poison someone without them knowing who it was? I mean, we can't pour it into her drink... and we can't put it in her soap, since she'll know it was one of us..."  
They both sat in silence for a minute, both thinking of ways to get the potion onto Pansy without her having even a hint of where it might have come from. "I have an idea." Tracey announced suddenly. "I'll need a few hours to put it together, but meet me in the 2nd floor bathroom just before dinner."

"This better work, Tracey." Daphne said in a low voice. "You're not leaving me much time if it doesn't."

"Trust me, Daphne..." Tracey smirked as she stood from the couch and fixed her robes. "You'll get the desired effect."

Daphne did as Tracey had instructed, and met her in the 2nd floor bathroom right before dinner. It was a struggle to sneak away from being escorted by the head of house, but she managed to do it. Once she got there, Tracey simply demanded that she give her the potion and go back to dinner. Daphne did as she was told, handed her the glass tube, and hurried back to dinner.

Nothing happened at dinner. Daphne was beginning to get anxious, and she gave Tracey some very concerned looks. Tracey, in response gave her a wide smile and mouthed 'patience' to her.  
_Patience be damned... if only you knew the steaks you were playing at, Tracey... _Daphne thought angrily. She was beginning to feel restless lately; her and Draco hadn't had a rendezvous since the summer, and Daphne had the strongest urge to... well, do what they always did! _I feel like some crazy sex-fiend... but damn it, I'm bored and I want him back... again!_

It wasn't until dinner was almost over that Daphne saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Millicent came running in and sat down beside Pansy, as she always did, and told her that a package had arrived for her from Madame Malkins.  
"I don't remember ordering anything..." Pansy said suspiciously.

"It says right on the package 'customer appreciation'! She must be sending it out to all her best customers!" Millicent said excitedly.

"Really?" Pansy said vainly, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Well, then we'll have to go see what Madame Malkins thinks will bring me back to her business." She smirked at the thought of someone coming crawling back to her.

Daphne looked across the table at Tracey, who was smirking knowingly. _I have to admit; she is a genius. _She thought, chuckling quietly to herself as she finished up her pudding.

As Daphne and Tracey had expected, they wouldn't have to witness the event since they would hear all about it. First, Pansy and Millicent walked up to their dorm alone, both excited to see what their former dressmaker had sent her. Then, about 5 minute later, Millicent came running down the stairs and fled through the common room, only to return with Slughorn moments later. From what Tracey and Daphne could overhear, Pansy had tried on her new dress robes only to start swelling up as soon as she had the dress on. Slughorn muttered an incantation that allowed him to go up the stairs to the girls dorms, and he ran up (as fast as someone his size could) to help Pansy.

"How did you do it?" Daphne whispered across the table to Tracey, who had sat smirking the whole time.

"I smeared the potion on the inside of the robes that my mother had bought me earlier this year. And since I have no intention of ever wearing such a hideous colour, and I know that Pansy loves pink, I knew that she would try them on without question."

"You are by far the smartest person I know." Daphne smiled with glee as she watched Slughorn and Millicent held a gigantic Pansy down the stairs and out the common room, which had burst into laughter as soon as they saw her. Draco was just walking through the common room when she exited the Slytherin house, and he looked confused and horrified by what he saw. Crabbe and Goyle were killing themselves laughing as well, but Draco somehow managed to suddenly catch Daphne's eye. They stared at each other for a few moments before he pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket and scribbled something on it with a confused first year's quill. Then, pulling out his wand, he muttered something to the piece of paper, and it turned into an origami mouse, which jumped from his hands and started across the floor. Daphne casually dropped her hand off the side of the couch and waited for the message to reach her; it climbed up into her hand and instantly turned back into a folded piece of paper. Tracey hadn't noticed because she was busy filling Theodore in on what he had just missed, and she didn't notice where the piece of paper came from either. Daphne opened the paper to see the typical memo for her to meet Draco in the common room tonight at midnight.  
_Success. _She thought proudly, smirking crookedly as she looked up and caught Draco's eye once more before he disappeared into the boy's stairwell.

Daphne had to admit that she was anxious and nervous as she hid in the darkest corner of the common room that night, waiting for Draco to waltz down the stairs. It had been almost 5 months since they last were together... she hoped nothing had changed between them.  
There were footsteps down the boy's stairwell, and Daphne felt her heart race in anticipation. To her disappointment, Blaise appeared instead. She fought off the initial shiver that ran over her, and then she sighed in annoyance. "And what are you doing down here so late?" Blaise smirked, crossing the room towards her.

"How can you see me?" Daphne muttered, putting her face in her hands momentarily.

"Skin as white as yours?" he chuckled "You practically glow in the dark."

"Thanks..." she muttered "Where are you off to?"

"I asked you first... although I think I have an idea..." Blaise smirked even wider, showing off his bright teeth.

"Shut up, Blaise." Daphne growled and turned away from him, attempting to slap his smart face as she turned.

"Well, to answer your question then," he said, taking a few steps and standing in front of her again "The Carrow's are on duty tonight, so it's a free pass for our house to wander. I personally am going to the kitchens, since I missed dinner."

"Oh, have fun then." Daphne replied sarcastically. "Can you leave now?"

"Why, it's not like I don't know where you're going..." he smirked as he turned around, just seconds before Draco appeared out of the stairwell. Daphne's heart skipped a beat, and Draco narrowed his eyes and Blaise, then crossed the room.

"Got a death wish, have we Blaise?" Draco replied sternly. Blaise only smiled knowingly, and looked at both Daphne and Draco.

"Have fun you two." He chuckled before he threw his hood over his head and exited the portrait hole.

"Not even the fear of death will stop him from making my life hell..." Draco muttered. "Well, let's get going then." He said, smiling at Daphne. She felt her heart melt at the sight, and followed without a second thought.

Instead of their typical spot, Draco veered off from the stairwell to the 7th floor, and settled for the 5th floor. Daphne was going to ask where he was going, but her question was answered soon enough once she saw the prefects bathroom.  
"I may not be a prefect anymore..." Draco stated as he cleared his throat and barked 'Slippery Soap' at the door, which swung open slowly. "But I have unbeatable connections with the staff."

"Obviously..." Daphne giggled as she followed him into the room, closing the door behind her. "Why the change of scenery anyways?"

"I get bored quickly." He stated dully.

"Oh... makes sense." Daphne stated awkwardly.

Draco walked over to the faucets and tapped them with his wand, making warm, bubbly water pour out of them and start to fill the tub. Daphne couldn't help but feel a level on tension in the room, all coming from Draco; he looked sulking and miserable. _Wonder what his problem is now... _

"Wow, I haven't been up here in years." Daphne said lightly as she put her hand under the nearest tap to test the temperature of the water. Draco nodded his head slowly, but didn't reply immediately; Daphne rolled her eyes at how slow this escapade was moving thus far.

"When was the last time you were up here again?" he asked at last, his voice not sounding overly interested.

"For Pansy's little spa adventure in 5th year." Daphne smirked at the thought of an inflated Pansy sitting in the hospital wing while she seduced Draco once again. "You and the boys burst in on us, remember?"

"Oh... right." He replied absently. Daphne rolled her eyes; she had had enough of his strange behaviour.

"What's the matter with you, Draco? I haven't been with you in months, and you can't even be bothered to have a proper conversation with me? It sounds like your mind is somewhere else." Daphne remarked with a flat tone to mask all the emotions behind it.

"I'm distracted." He said as he took off his black robe and tossed it on the floor, then began to loosen his tie. "I can't get over the fact that not only did Madame Malkin send a poisoned robe to Pansy, but it got through all the security of Hogwarts!"

"You of all people would know all about how _un_secure this castle is." Daphne remarked with a small smirk as she walked over and stood beside him. "And for someone who wants to break up with Pansy, you sound awfully concerned about her well-being." She added with a much more suspicious tone.

Draco gave her a sharp glare and sighed in frustration "Are you really going to start this old tune again? As you said, we haven't seen each other in months; you're wasting time."

"It wouldn't have to be so scarce if you would keep your word, Draco." Daphne reminded him lightly, but her expression told him that she was anything but detached from the subject.

"Alright, let's get this straight once and for all." Draco said in a slightly raised voice. "I make the rules here, got it? I'll do what_ I_ want, _when_ I want, and you just have to deal with it." He growled a mere foot away from her face. "So stop nagging me about nothing, ok?"

Daphne took in a deep breath of shock at what he just said. She shook her head slowly as she her mind processed it, and then she let out a laugh of disbelief. "_You _make the rules? May I remind you that_ I_ helped you last year... that you came to _me _for relief. If anyone makes the rules, it's me!"

"Oh please, Greengrass!" Draco laughed wickedly. "You and I both know that there is no way you could ever control me. And I'm the one dishing out all the goods, remember? The goods that you're dependent on, since they're not coming from anyone else." He smirked evilly; Daphne didn't need to think for very long about what 'goods' he was referring to. And he was taking a jab at her not having a boyfriend either, which made her tempter rise and her ears burn hot.

"So then we're _equal_, Draco, as it _should_ be." Daphne said through gritted teeth. "A relationship, whether it is friendship or love, is built on trust and _honesty_, neither of which I can say you have been keeping." Draco gave her a dark glare, but she continued. "I want you to be honest with me; why haven't you broken it off with Pansy, as you promised?"

"Because I don't _feel _like it, that's why." He hissed angrily "Not to mention, as I've told you hundreds of times, the Parkinson's are helping my family. Are you that determined to ruin me?"

"Are you determined to keep me as your _something on the side_!?" Daphne snapped back.

"So what if I do!? There's no difference." Draco laughed. Daphne stared at him with narrowed eyes and waited for whatever answer he had. "Your family serves mine. If I really wanted, even if you weren't willing, I could just tell my father that I wanted you." He took a step closer, just about closing the gap between them. His grey eyes looked down at her with an expression of smugness that made her just want to slap him. "And then your father would hand you over to me, and the tradition continues; your family serving mine. This is just the easier, and must more enjoyable route."

Daphne did not blink or breathe for a few moments. Her heart raced, not out of love, but for anger; he really had no appreciation for her whatsoever!  
"Is that what you think this is? Me playing up to my family's expectations?" she hissed, then let out a low chuckled and shook her head. "Well then, let me offer you a way to relax, _Master_ Malfoy." She growled as gripped his robes and pushed him into the prefects bathtub, now filled with warm bubbly water. "How about you let the hot water clear your obviously twisted mind!" He resurfaced a few seconds later, coughing and spluttering, and visibly angry now. "How _dare_ you treat me like that! After I helped you last year, and for all we know, I could be the reason you're still _alive_ today!" she shouted at him, her clenched fists shaking as she glared down at him. "Or was that a trick to get me to _serve_ you?" she hissed. Draco glared at her and stood up in the tub, wading to the edge of the pool and pulling himself out of the water.

"I ought to-" Draco started, spitting the taste of bathwater out of his mouth

"DON'T INTERRUPT ME!" she screamed at him. "Until_ you_ figure out what you want, don't you DARE ask me to do this again!" she shouted at him. "I am a thousand times the woman Pansy is, and you know it! So either keep your word and get _rid _of her, or have fun making love to abulldog from now on!" she added furiously, then turned and stormed out of the prefects bathroom, ignoring the shouts of obscenities that Draco called at her back.

Daphne didn't unclench her fists the entire walk back to the common room. She passed by one of the Carrow's, but he pretended not to notice her once he saw her house badge. Her face remained in the same expression of fury as she speed-walked all the way back to the Slytherin dungeons, practically kicking the portrait door closed when she arrived.  
_Thinks he has all the control over me, does he? Thinks he can get the best of both worlds and keep me AND Pansy... Well I hope I kicked that fantasy right out of his mind... I'll be damned if I share what's rightfully mine with a girl who resembles a lapdog! _Her mind rambled, hot with anger. She stormed across the empty common room and headed towards the dormitory staircase, but just as she was about to ascend the dark stairwell, an amused voice called to mock her.  
"That was quick." Blaise chuckled from the corner by the fire. "Where's Draco?"

"Drowning in his own vanity, I hope." Daphne spat at his sharply.

"Uh oh, sounds like trouble in paradise." He said, his voice reflecting the obvious smirk on his face. Daphne now turned around and gave him the darkest, most evil look she could muster.

"Trouble or not, we still own your life, so keep your bloody trap SHUT!" she said through snarling teeth. Blaise surprisingly did not reply; he just stared at her with amused eyes and a statuesque face. She stared back at him too for a few moments, then turned around on her heel and stalked back towards the staircase again.

"Goodnight Daphne." Blaise called in a smart tone; Daphne ignored it for fear that she might turn around and curse him. She was so frustrated and angry! All she wanted to do was tear something apart right now.... preferably Draco or Pansy!

When she kicked open the door to her dorm, she was relieved to see that Pansy was still not back, and neither was Millicent. Only Tracey was there, and she was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed, obviously waiting anxiously for Daphne to return.  
"So how was Draco?" she asked with a knowing smirk. For once, Daphne was happy that she would prove her best friend's assumptions wrong.

"I told him to ditch Pansy or stop coming on to me." Daphne said curtly as she crossed the room, kicked off her shoes under her bed, and threw herself into her bed still wearing her uniform.

"Really!? So nothing happened?"

"No, Tracey; nothing happened!" Daphne snapped in frustration, almost starting to sob at her own words. She had been waiting for him for almost 5 months, and they _both_ blew it by being too stubborn for their own goods. "Can we just forget about it please?" she demanded quietly as she rolled over, no longer facing Tracey. There was silence between them, and then she could hear her moving on her bed.

"Well, at least one good thing came out of today." She said cheerfully. "We got to see what Pansy will look like in about 10 years."  
Despite how angry she was, Daphne couldn't help but chuckle at her best friend's humor. And then, with a simple laugh, she felt all her anger disappear, and it was instantly replaced with something that made her heart ache. She felt like she was mourning for something!  
_  
I am mourning... _Daphne thought solemnly. _Mourning the loss of my dream... my fantasy world.... My prince turned out to be a wicked, spoiled King, who thinks everything is owed to him, and he can have everything... Well not me. I won't let my family treat me like that, I won't let my friends do it either... so I certainly won't let HIM do it... _

Because all the pureblood families were riding high through the control of Lord Voldermort, everyone in the house was able to return home for the holidays. No doubt, Daphne expected, they would be forced to attend more parties, meetings, and murders with everyone else in the house, so it would practically be like staying at Hogwarts.  
"Well, I won't be invited to any of those soirees; you know that." Tracey remarked as they trudged down to the Entrance Hall with their trunks.

"You can take my place." Theodore muttered as he kicked his trunk into the pile beside the doors and continued on with the others.

"And mine too." Daphne added with a small chuckle "Last thing I want to do is be carted off to the Malfoy's for another ball."

"Yes, I can imagine _that's_ why you wouldn't want to go to the Malfoy Manor." Tracey smirked. Daphne gave Tracey a wide-eyed look and nodded her head at an unsuspecting Theodore. He had still remained ignorant to everything from Daphne's love for Draco to the quarrel she had with him the night before, and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Well, either way, I have a feeling this Christmas is going to be an eventful one..." Daphne muttered as they stepped outside the Entrance Hall and out into the cold, December air. She tightened her Slytherin scarf around her neck and pulled on her dragon hide gloves. "Good God it's cold!" she shivered.

"Thanks for that clever statement , Daphne." Theodore teased as he pulled his wool hat over his ears and rubbed his hands together to try and get them warm. "This has got to be the coldest day in years!"

Up ahead, Daphne could see Draco, Crabbe and Goyle waiting for the next sled. A strong gust of wind flew up the hill from the lake, causing all the students to cringe and turn away in pain. From the corner of her eye, she could see a Slytherin scarf fly off and hand halfway between the two groups. Pansy was nowhere in sight, and neither was Millicent, which made Daphne wonder how Draco had slipped away from her...

"Go get it, Goyle." Draco demanded as he crossed his arms to fight the cold. Goyle moved almost instantaneously, and was jogging back towards them to pick up Malfoy's scarf. Daphne looked at Tracey for a moment before she stepped forward as well, holding up her hand in a stop gesture to Goyle. She picked up the green and silver scarf that matched everyone else's, and strode past Goyle, who looked very confused (as usual).

"I believe this is yours," Daphne said with a dark expression on her face. Draco turned around with his eyebrows furrowed together. She stepped forward and held the scarf out to him before she glared him directly in the eye and muttered "_Master_" in a dark growl.

Draco took the scarf from her and met her gaze with a stone-cold look that was something she expected from Lucius. He tied it around his neck without breaking his glare with Daphne, which made all the on-lookers, now including Theodore and Tracey, all feel very awkward and tense. "Thank you." Malfoy sneered at her, but he had a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, like he was amused by her. This only made Daphne feel more angry.

"Glad I could be of service to you." She replied through her teeth, and then with a sarcastic, fake smile, she made a low curtsey, and then continued walking down the hill towards Hogsmead. As she walked away, she could hear Crabbe asking 'What was that all about?', but she didn't hear what Draco's response was... or if he even had one.

"Daphne, wait up!" Theodore called. She could hear his footsteps, running to catch up with her. There was another set too, and within a moment she knew it was Tracey.

"Well, that was interesting... and what brought that about?" she asked, her eyes holding the glint of knowing laughter.

"Oh, just something Draco and his fat ego said to me..." Daphne muttered as she rubbed her gloved hands together. "I felt like shoving it back in his face, that's all."

"Well, it certainly worked." Theodore chuckled. "But wouldn't you rather take a carriage? Because to be honest, I don't feel like walking all the way to Hogsmead in this weather."  
Theodore had a point; it had to be 25 below zero outside, and they could very well miss the train if they did walk. Daphne stopped walking and turned back, waiting for the next carriage to drive by. About 2 minutes later, one of the sleds with a few Hufflepuff's strolled by. They looked down at the three of them as they passed with spite, but then Daphne and Tracey only smirked as they walked in time with the carriage.

"Going our way?" Tracey smirked as she jumped up onto the sled, pushing herself into the seat beside a 4th year Hufflepuff. Daphne did the same on the other side, shoving a young boy right against the wall, and Theodore jumped onto the back, standing on the footman's platform and slicking his head between the shoulders of two more very confused Hufflepuff's.

"Don't mind us; we're just hitching a ride." He smiled wickedly, no doubt sending shivers through their little bodies.

After the long and dismal train ride home, Daphne and her two best friends jumped off the Hogwarts express to see many parents standing close to one-another, but far apart from a select group in the centre of the platform. As Daphne expected, her parents, among many other Slytherin parents, were among the group being avoided.  
"Well, I've got to hoof it from here." Tracey sighed, taking her trunk and popping some wheels out of it with a wave of her wand. "I'll see you all after Christmas, I assume." She smiled, looking at Theodore and Daphne with a dim smile.

"Yeah, I'll send you a letter if I end up at another gather." Daphne promised as she reached out and gave her a farewell hug. Theodore did the same right after her, and then she gave them another smile and disappeared beyond the barrier of platform 9 and3/4.

" I'm not sure if there's much point in saying good-bye; we might see each other again tonight." Theodore teased as he held his arms out for a hug from her. Daphne laughed and gave him a quick but warm hug.

"If that's the case, then let's hope it's not as eventful as the last one..." she said, winking at him with a knowing smirk. He smiled and shrugged, then walked over to his father, who was muttering something to Goyle's father.

Daphne sighed and scanned the platform for her parents. Although she didn't see her mother, she saw her father, chatting with Lucius about something, a quill and notepad in hand, jotting down something as his boss spoke. Daphne felt her smile fade into a bitter frown; if her father wasn't so subservient, maybe they wouldn't have to deal with all the drama the Dark Lord was causing in the world... at least, not directly. She took a step forward to head over to her father, but just then, she felt a sharp tug on her neck, and the next instant she was against the stone wall of the platform. Once she managed to focus on where she was, she saw Draco, with a very un-amused face, and his tight grip on her scarf.

"I don't appreciate you trying to mock me in front of everyone like that." He growled under his breath so no one else could hear.

"Oh, I'm sorry, _Master_... didn't I please you with my services?" she sneered back with narrowed eyes, smacking his hand away from her scarf.

Draco chuckled and took a quick look around at the people who were standing near. Once he was satisfied that no one of importance was near, he grabbed her scarf and pulled her head closer to his. In a dark voice that gave her chills, he whispered "You have no idea how much I _love_ when you call me Master" into her ear, then released her and smirked with those same seductive eyes he always had when he spoke like that. As hard as Daphne tried to look disgusted or horrified by his words, the only look she could muster was a blank stare that held reflections of her adoration. He stared at her for a moment, then turned away abruptly to greet his approaching father.

"Hello Daphne." Her father called her in a flat tone, tucking his note pad into his pocket. Daphne was still staring at Draco, who was now talking to his father about how wonderful it was to not have Potter around anymore, and barely noticed her father standing beside her.

"Can we go home now?" an annoying, high-pitched voice whined from her left.  
_  
I'd almost forgotten about her..._ Daphne thought, rolling her eyes and snapping herself out of the trance Draco held.

"Yes, let's get moving. Your Grandparents are here from France." Lennox announced to his daughters in his low voice.

"Oh brilliant! Now I can show them all the magic I've been practicing!" Astoria said cheerfully as she took her father's arm and walked with him down the platform towards the barrier. Daphne frowned a little that they had apparently forgotten about her...  
_  
Great... now I get to see her perform magic all night..._ Daphne thought bitterly as she tugged her trunk behind her, and followed her kin through the magic barrier into Kings Cross station.

**_AN: Quick fill with a little drama. I hope you enjoyed it :)  
So, I know I promised you all that I would be finished by the new year. Well.... I'll be finished the school years by the New Year, but I have a lot of plot that occurs after Daphne graduates... LOTS!  
So, in other words, I will NOT be finished this story by the New Year.... which means it will probabably be finished within a couple months after Jan._**

REVIEW PLEASE! Let me know that I'm still going in the right direction with this! This train known as Daphne tries to jump off the track sometimes, but it will stay on... if only for a little while longer :) REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!


	24. Year 7 Part 5

**_AN: Alright, here's a little update for you! It FINALLY starts to wrap up the 7th year, and introduces the Battle of Hogwarts._**

I want to also say that the French that I use in this chapter is probably all horrible and gramatically incorrect, but that's what you get when you use free translations sites. Now I really wished I paid more attention in French...

This will probably be it until after Christmas. So just in case, Happy Holidays everyone!  
Enjoy!

Christmas at home with her family was by far one of the worst she had ever experience. The instant that Daphne, Astoria, and Lennox entered their home via Floo Powder, they were met by the loudest French babbling of an elderly couple that was unfortunately (and somehow) related to her.

"Astoria! Mon belle ange! Vous devenez plus charmants dans les coups d'oeil par le deuxième!" their Grandmother said in her high-pitched voice, stepping forward and taking Astoria into a tight, embracing hug. Their Grandmother had to be about 70 years old, but she still dressed like she was 40; tight navy blue robes, loads of matching sapphire jewels, and hair that was enchanted to forever stay red (like her precious daughter, Medea)

"What can we say, Cecelia? She takes after the lovely women on your side of the family." Lennox laughed heartily. Medea chuckled at the compliment and translated for her parents, who laughed a moment later at their son-in-law's flattery.

Daphne rolled her eyes and sat down on one of the empty couches of the drawing room, waiting for the Astoria-ego-boosting-session to end. _I doubt they've even noticed I'm here... as usual. _She thought with a small glare at the back of her Grandparents heads. _Not that I care; last thing I want is my mother having to translate how very plain and ordinary I am... _She inwardly sighed, watching her sister show off for her Grandparents.

Cecelia and Gerard did not speak a word of English, and Medea translated everything that they said to each other. It made having a conversation take an extra long time, and Daphne was convinced that Medea 'edited out' some of the details that Daphne would say in order to make her sound more pleasant and grateful. But over the years, Daphne had picked up enough French to understand man words frequently used to describe her: average, late-bloomer, somewhat intelligent; the list went on.

"Et comment est Daphné? Elle doit être près de l'âge, elle a décidé quoi faire une fois qu'elle a terminé l'école?" Gerard asked, a man who was the definition of an old French man, which a thin white mushash and matching hair slicked back to his head... much like how Draco used to wear his hair...

"Did you understand your Grandfather?" Medea quipped smartly at her daughter, who had momentarily drifted off into her own world again. Daphne hadn't even noticed that they were all now sitting on the couches and chairs in the room, all facing the centre and chatting.

"Uh... can you repeat it, Grand-pere?" Daphne asked quietly. He did, and Daphne sat there for a few moments, attempting to translate it in her head.

"Daphne, we don't have all day." Her father chuckled from across the room, now sipping on some coffee that Astoria had gracefully brought back for the adults. _What a lovely housewife you'll make, Astoria; it's about the only think you're naturally good at. _Daphne thought with a smirk.

"Uh, I'm thinking of going into Charms." She managed after figuring out what the question was in the statement. "Something like creating concealment charms for places like Hogwarts or the Quidditch World Cup."

"Can you translate for your grandparents?" Medea smirked, knowing that she couldn't. Daphne made a small face at her mother, then shook her head slowly. With a sigh, Medea translated what her daughter said (with a notable expression of confusion or annoyance), and smiled like a cat when she finished.

"Charms? Est-ce votre meilleur sujet?" her grandfather asked with some interest that surprised Daphne.

"Oui." She replied with a small smile; she understood that much French on her own, without her mother translating. Could it be possible that her family had actually taken more than 2 seconds to acknowledge that she too was a student?

"Eh bien, vous pouvez peut-être nous montrer certaines de vos compétences? Comme un ami du ministre français de la magie, je peux peut-être mettre un bon mot pour vous après vos études." He smiled, sitting a little forward in his seat, watching and waiting.

"He wants you to perform some charms, and he says that he might be able to put a good word in for you after you graduate at the French Ministry... _if _you're good." Medea translated lazily.

"You want me to_ charm_ something?" Daphne repeated quietly. She pulled her wand out of her pocket and looked around for something to charm. "Well, I can do one right now..." she remarked slowly, taking one of the coffee mugs from the tray her sister brought and levitated it over onto the mantelpiece.

"Don't you dare knock anything off the mantel!" Her mother warned under her breath.

"Have some faith, mother." Daphne muttered as she stood up from the couch and looked at the mug. Then, she took a deep breath and called "Aguamenti!", creating a jet of water that shot straight at the mantel, which held up several crystal vases and jewelled boxed. Her mother shouted something at her, as did her father, but she ignored them, and just before the water was about to shoot the mug, she flicked her wand upward, which made the jet turn at a 90 degree angle. Her family watched with great interest as she directed the water around the room, narrowly missing her sister's head (on purpose) before she slowed it down and gently poured it into the mug.

"Bein fait, Daphne." Her grandfather said "Tres bien." He smiled at her. Daphne had never really had a conversation with her grandfather, but she was beginning to wonder if perhaps he was the most enjoyable of her mother's side of the family.

"My turn!" Astoria announced as she jumped from her seat on the couch across from her sister. Daphne rolled her eyes and flopped back onto the couch, preparing for the next 2 hours of watching her sister show off...

One thing did turn out alright for Daphne, however; there was no summon from the Dark Lord to the Malfoy manor for another repeat of the summer's festivities.  
"Thank God!" she laughed as she walked with Tracey up the platform of Kings Cross Station 3 weeks later, dumping their trunks in the nearby pile and climbing back aboard the Hogwarts Express. "The last thing I wanted was to spend my entire vacation sitting in that house, always on edge and worrying about that damned snake!"

"Oh come Daphne; Draco isn't that evil, is he?" Tracey smirked as she opened an empty car open.

"You know that's _not _the snake I was referring to." Daphne muttered.

"Well, how was your holiday then? I heard that your grandparents were there." She asked, her usual sly smile of knowing mocking her.

"Well, they acknowledged me once." She said brightly "And then they returned to spoiling and fawning over Astoria, so nothing different I suppose. Oh, and my cousin's came over from France as well, which only made my vacation worse!"

"Oh, the French tarts? How are they?" Tracey laughed.

"Married. And one is pregnant. I'm not surprised, but at the same time, I can't believe that their father would let them get married so young... they're only just 19."

"And dare I ask how old their husbands are?"

"Oh, you know; 25 and 29..." Daphne muttered, sighing a little. "With my luck, I'll be 29 by the time _I_ get married... and that's _if _I get married at all."

"What happened to Draco?" Tracey asked curiously, taking a copy of Witch Weekly out of her trunk and glancing at the front cover with a sneer.

"Like I care." Daphne muttered, leaning her head on the window absently. Tracey looked up with a smirk, clearly catching the lie, but she didn't say anything about it.

Tracey didn't bother bringing up Draco again for some time. In fact, they didn't talk about him until the first week of February, when the Gryffindors started to lose their patience, and began to outwardly defy Snape, the Carrow's, and the Slytherins.  
"...And they expect us to be able to perform these curses on each other like we're simply levitating a book across the room!" Neville grumbled to Ginny one night as they were walking through the halls. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were behind them, followed by Daphne and Tracey a few feet behind.

"Wonder if next week's lesson will be the killing curse." Ginny growled in response.

"Well, if it is, I can only hope that they'll use you two as practice." Draco called to them. They stopped dead in their tracks and spun around, both of their faces reflecting the rage they felt.

"Sod off Malfoy, or I may put some of those curses your friends are teaching us to use." Ginny threatened through a locked jaw.

"Is that so, Weasley?" Malfoy chuckled at the threat. He had his sleeves rolled up as usual, showing off his Dark Mark to anyone and everyone that dared challenge him. But, as expected, Ginny didn't care, nor was she scared. "I'll bet you 20 galleons that you wouldn't have the courage to do it. That's a good amount, isn't it? Won't 20 galleons pay your family's rent for a year?" The others laughed, including Tracey and Daphne, who had now caught up to them and were standing just behind Draco with Crabbe and Goyle.

"It's not a question of courage, _Malfoy_." She sneered, pulling her wand out of her robe "It's a question of _morals_, which I have."

"More like a question of _fear_!" Tracey laughed, earning her a death glare from both Ginny and Neville. "After all, how are you Gryffindors going to defend yourselves without Potter to lead the way? Not to mention, even if you tried, Snape would have you in the dungeons faster than you can say blood traitor."

"Pretty rich coming from a half-blood like you, Davis!" Neville replied sharply.

"Better than being a Weasley or a Longbottom!" Daphne chimed in smartly. "Otherwise, we'd be as helpless and hopeless as you two are right now." She smirked.

"I see that the odds are always fair, as usual, eh Malfoy?" Ginny remarked with a glare, ignoring Daphne "5 to 2; apparently arithmancy was never your strongest subject."

"Get used to the odds, Weasley." He smirked at her "Because that's the ratio you and the Order are up against right now; just thought you should know that."

"We don't care about the odds." Neville said in a low, angry voice. "As long as we fight for what's right, and turn this abomination of a school's teaching against you, then we'll do alright."

Tracey barked a quick laugh at that "If you hate it so much, then why not leave like the rest of your little friends? I see that the Potter Trio didn't come back, along with half your house. You're allies are starting to dwindle in numbers." she remarked smartly.

"Because someone has to stop Snape! He's a murder, and you're just as bad as him, Malfoy!" Ginny quipped back immediately.

"Well rehearsed response, Weasley." Daphne chuckled, watching her face turn red with anger.

"I suggest you two start taking more care with what you say. We wouldn't want any accidents to happen because of your big mouth." Draco said in a patronizing voice that made Ginny try to lunge forward at him, but Neville stopped her. "Enjoy your remaining time at Hogwarts." He added with a deliberately evil smile.

Neville said something under his breath to Ginny, who glared at Malfoy and the rest of them angrily. Then she gave them a rude gesture with her finger and turned around sharply, walking away hissing obscenities to Neville, who was clearly telling her to calm down.  
"You know, I'll really miss them when they're gone." Tracey sighed dramatically. The others immediately burst into laughter, and Draco turned around to look at the two girls who had helped him in his diminishing of the enemy.

"I dare say I would love to teach them a good lesson, except the Dark Lord wants to keep them around as a good lesson. He wants to keep all of the Potter supporters around so they can first watch Potter die, then he can either torture or kill them after."

"Remind me to leave that day free in my calendar." Daphne laughed to Tracey. She giggled as well, and gave her a subtle nudge in the ribs. Daphne looked up to see what she was hinting at and saw that Draco was staring at her rather obviously. "Well, we'd better get back to the common room; we wouldn't want Slughorn to give us detention for being late."

"Oh, these rules piss me off!" Tracey grumbled, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms as they all started to walk back towards the dungeons. "Snape is more than willing to give us freedom, but Slughorn just takes it all away!"

"It's because he was Dumbledore's man." Draco answered sourly. "He and the other teachers are attempting to diminish Snape's power over the school. If I were him, I'd stand up and make them listen to me, or suffer the consequences."

"Well Draco, you _are_ a Death Eater; why not do exactly that? Go up to his office and demand that he put Slughorn in his place?" Tracey pointed out "After all, isn't that one of the perks of being a Death Eater? That you can talk to him like an equal, not a subordinate?"

"It's not that simple, Tracey." Draco remarked flatly. "The Dark Lord controls Snape, and I'm not about to question him just because we would like some freedom."

"I don't see why not..." Tracey muttered. "Whatever, Slughorn is fighting a losing battle. I bet if we all just started walking around whenever we pleased, there wouldn't be much he could do."

"That only works on the nights that the Carrow's are on duty." Daphne pointed out, and then ignored Draco's glance at her. "C'mon Tracey, we only have a few more months at Hogwarts, and when we have as much freedom as we'll ever have for the rest of our lives; surely you can survive a few nights not running around the school."

"Having to work a job full time is_ not_ freedom, Daphne." Tracey grumbled.  
_  
Being out of my house forever is freedom... _Daphne concluded in her head, but didn't bother to say it out loud. _And if Draco would get his act together, then my life would be complete... he keeps trying to catch my attention, but it's not going to work! _She thought stiffly, giving him a sideways glance that caught his eye. _I want _him_ to put more effort into this... I'll be damned if he thinks he's obliged to me!_ She thought haughtily, and then took Tracey's arm and sped up their speed, putting a significant distance between the girls and the guys, who did not try to keep up.

On the eve of February 14th, Daphne was feeling even more frustrated and bitter towards Draco and Pansy, who had first made a show of love and affection in the common room, and then disappeared down to Hogsmead all day, and didn't return until just before dinner.  
"He was so romantic! Oh, you should see the necklace he bought for me!" Pansy raved to Millicent at dinner, well aware that Daphne and Tracey were listening as well.

"Aren't you lucky." Tracey replied with a tight smile, then turned to Daphne and whispered "I vote we just drown her in the lake; no one will miss her!"

"Except Millicent...and probably Draco." Daphne muttered, mindlessly stirring her mashed potatoes around on her plate with her fork.

"I'm surprised you're taking this so well... did Theodore give you a box of chocolates or something?" she asked Daphne as she stuffed a piece of her dinner roll into her mouth.

"No he didn't... wait, what?" Daphne asked, shaking her head in confusion "What does Theodore have to do with this?"

"It was a joke, Daphne... wow, I guess you're not as composed as I thought you were..." Tracey said with a small smirk before she shoved more bread into her mouth.

"Whatever..." Daphne muttered, turning her head and looking up the table curiously. Yet another rose had somehow found it's way in front or Astoria. She'd received about 12 at this point, all from different boys that were trying to win her over. Each one had come with a little note tied to it, which she would read aloud to her friends, then turn the direction of the latest victim to her spell, and smile sweetly to encourage the boy to spend even more money on her. "Ridiculous..." Daphne said under her breath, taking a chuck on her mashed potatoes and squishing it with her fork. Needless to say, as usual, Daphne had not received any roses or gifts of any kind from anyone. And although she told herself she was quite content with this, deep down it hurt her to know that, as usual, her sister always got the love and attention she didn't deserve.

Tracey had received a detention earlier that day for making a smart remark about Potter, which McGonagall did not appreciate in the slightest. So, after dinner, Daphne had to make her way back to the common room alone. In the dark hallways, there was still bits of confetti and sparkles that lingered in the air from the little cupid's that had flown around all day, delivering flowers, candy, and poems to luckier people that her.  
_My sister's right; I'm never going to have a boyfriend... well, aside from Blaise, but he doesn't count! He converted to the same blasphemy as the rest of them right after... _she thought with a bitter sneer. _Every boy in the world has their heart set on her, and no one even takes notice to me... I truly think I'm adopted..._

As Daphne sulkingly passed by the last classroom before the dungeons began, she heard a loud creak behind her, and then a strong tug back towards the door. She opened her mouth to scream, but she tripped on the doorframe, causing her to land with a thud on the stone floor, knocking the wind out of her.  
"Oops. Didn't mean to pull you that hard." Draco sighed as he stood above her, shaking his head slowly but smirking. He held out his hand to help her up, and she looked at curiously for a moment before taking it.

"What... do you want." She managed as she tried to catch her breath. He didn't say anything; he just gave her a quick tug and pulled her up off the ground.

"You make it sound like I ask a lot of you." He chuckled.

"Draco, you _do _ask a lot of me. And until you do what I told you to do, you're not getting _anything_ else." Daphne hissed.

"Daphne, I can't stay away from you anymore." Draco said, his voice very quiet, but his eyes looking down away from hers. "Every time I see you, I just get a feeling so strong, and it's so hard for me to just walk away from you without grabbing you and just-" he cut himself off and looked up into her eyes. "I'm not sure what you've done to me, but I can't get you out of my mind."

"And wh-what do you want _me_ to do about it?" Daphne breathed, her lungs feeling as tight as they did only moments before.

"Whatever you can; anything will do." He paused, taking another step forward, bringing him so close that she could feel his hot breath on her face. "I leave it for you to decide since you're the one who is indifferent about all of this."

"I am not indifferent!" Daphne breathed sharply. "Don't think that I don't care, Draco! It's just-" she cut herself off and looked at the floor. She wanted so bad to say it; she wanted to tell him right now that she loved him. But she held back. "You can't live without me, but I can't watch you living with someone else." She sighed, feeling a small tear build up behind her eye, which she hastily wiped away. "_That's_ why I can't see you."

"What will it take for you to trust me? I'll take an Unbreakable vow if you want me too." He pleaded quietly. "I want you! _Not _Pansy, nor anyone else."

Daphne's head was so clouded at her fantasy world filling her imagination again that she barely understood what he was saying to her. It sounded almost as if he was confessing his love to her... except in much more complicated words.

"Oh Draco..." she sighed

"Don't think that you have to because I ask you." He clarified very quickly. "It's just... I miss you so much." He sighed too.

"I miss you too." Daphne admitted, her eyes so clouded over with her haze of love that she could hardly see. And in an act of bravery(and perhaps insanity), she stepped the few inches forward until her lips were so close to his that they lightly touched. "What should we do?" she whispered, almost giving in completely and kissing him then and there.  
Draco didn't move for a second either; he just waited with baited breath for her next move. As soon as she sensed his anticipation, she leaned in the micro distance and kissed him, releasing passion that had been bottled up for almost 7 months. Apparently he felt the same lack of restraint, and in a matter of seconds, he pushed her body up against one of the tables, instigating yet another of their intimate encounters. But unlike the previous times, there were two emotions that were not present before; desperation and determination. They were desperate because they wanted each other so badly, and not even physical pain or moral standards could get in their way. And they were both determined to prove to the other just how badly they needed them.

By the time they were finished their tryst, Daphne had almost forgotten about the situation at hand. They hadn't come to any conclusions about what their relationship was, nor had they even discussed the topic after they started making out (among other things). It was the tolling of the school clock, telling them that it was now 8:30pm, that sent both Daphne and Draco scurrying out of the classroom and to their common room. Upon their arrival, Pansy's voice sent Daphne ducking out of her sight and hiding in a dark corner until they were gone upstairs to his dorm. Daphne frowned at where they were going, but she was just happy to get up from the kneeling position she had held for the past half hour...

Preparing for NEWTS and finally graduating Hogwarts had all the Slytherin 7th years distracted. Daphne only saw Draco randomly, and often quickly, since Pansy and Draco had made a routine of studying for Defence Against the Dark Arts every night. However, this gave Daphne a little piece of mind; it meant that there was no way that Draco and Pansy could be doing anything more than studying (since they both always looked so tired), and it gave Daphne the chance to do the same.

Months passed in the same mundane manner. The rest of February brought nothing but the subtle hint that the end was near. In March, the snow was thick on the ground, and the hint grew stronger. And in April, the snow began to melt away and reveal the yellowy-green grass that had been hiding beneath a frosty blanket; the end of Hogwarts was now near, and the NEWTS were only weeks away. But May brought a surprise that no one was expecting...

Daphne turned restlessly in her bed the first night of May. All last night she had been up doing early prep for her Charms NEWT exam, the only exam she was going to try on.  
_And if I don't get at least a passing grade, then I guess I'll have to settle with being a house-wife all my life... _she thought solemnly as she turned again in her sleep. Her prep was with Flitwick tomorrow at 9am, and at this rate, she was going to be running off of 2 hours sleep.

There was a loud knock at the door that made all the girls start awake. Tracey instantly whipped out her wand and shone a light towards the door; they were all very surprised to see Professor Slughorn and the prefects waiting in the now open doorway.  
"Ladies, get dressed and be down in the common room in 5 minutes." He demanded, then turned on his heel and walked away. His face was very pale, and he looked as though he was also disappointed... or afraid; Daphne couldn't quite put her finger on the right emotion.  
All the girls stared at each other for a brief second, then scrambled out of bed, pulling on either their normal clothes that they had worn earlier this evening, or their uniforms.

"Why on Earth are we being called down to the common room at this time of night?" Pansy complained as she pulled on her uniform pants and a black sweater.

"Obviously it must be something important." Tracey said with sarcastic speculation as she put on an old pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Pansy gave her a sharp glare, which only made Daphne snicker under her breath. As she too dressed, putting on a pair of jeans and her Slytherin sweater (which was laying conveniently on top of her trunk), she too couldn't help but wonder what in Merlin's name could be so important that Slughorn had woken them all up?

"Probably caught some more people sneaking out again, and now he wants to make an example of them." Millicent theorized aloud.

"Then why wouldn't he do it until morning?" Pansy sneered.

"The best lessons are taught to an unwilling and angry audience." Daphne remarked lightly as she put on her trainers, tied up her hair, and tucked her wand in her pants pocket.

It was only once they were in the Great Hall, and Professor McGonagall was telling them that they had to evacuate the school, and Voldermort interrupted them with his demands for Potter, that they all understood what lied ahead of them. Daphne gave Theodore a nervous look, who caught her looking, took in a visibly deep breath and clenched his hands into fists. It was unknown what the Slytherin's would be expected to do; if Voldermort was really here, and with all his supporters, than that meant that many, if not _all_, of their parents would be in that same mob.  
_  
Going against our own families would be futile. We may as well turn our wands on ourselves if we wanted to take that route! _She remarked nervously in her head.  
Daphne had missed what McGonagall had said, but she did hear what Pansy said.

"But he's there! Potter's there! Someone grab him!" she screamed loud enough so everyone could hear. There were a few murmurs of agreement from around her, but they had a negative effect. Practically the entire school stood up and turned to _protect_ Potter! Daphne felt her chest tightened as she saw the looks of rage and determination in their eyes.

"Thank you Miss Parkinson. You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch. If the rest of your house could follow." The head of Gryffindor said sharp voice. Daphne turned and looked in outrage at her, but then realized that it was _Pansy_ who had just got their house kicked off the school property.

"You stupid cow..." she hissed under her breath as she stood from the table and stormed out with the rest of her ostracized house. Now, even if she wanted to avoid going to the aide of Voldermort based on her family allegiance, she had no choice; Hogwarts would no longer protect any Slytherin...

**_AN: Alright, so that will hopefully satisfy your taste for now.  
I'm off to care for my Christmas present... she's is a pitch black kitten, and her name is Bellatrix.... how Slytherin can I get? lol! Her short form is Bella, FYI...  
I'll get another update up hopefully before the New Year, but in the mean time, you'll just have to sit on it :P_**


	25. Year 7 Part 6

**_AN: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!/ HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!  
As a early present to you, my lovely readers, I present the Battle of Hogwarts, and all it's dramatics :P  
This chapter has like one swear word in it... I only included it because I just thought it was hilarious in context.  
ENJOY!! DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!_**

Daphne didn't stop her enraged pace until Pansy finally caught up with her outside the school. The Slytherin's were all heading in a pack towards Hogsmead, where they were all 'expected' to travel by Floo Powder home. In reality, everyone knew that no Slytherin family would be home tonight... they were all here.

"How dare you call me a cow, you little bitch! I said just what everyone was thinking back there!" Pansy shouted as she grabbed Daphne's arm and spun her around the face her.

"NO, Pansy, you didn't!" Daphne snarled angrily. "What you DID do was sentence the lot of us to being the targets of everyone who's still inside that school! Now, even _if_ we wanted to go back and _pretend_ to be on their side, we can't! Now they all know we're out to get Potter because YOU had to open that great, gaping hole in your face that you frequently stuff food into!" she ranted. Pansy stood there and stared at her as if she had just hit her in the face with a broomstick. Annoyed with her stupidity, Daphne ripped her arm out of Pansy's grip and continued down the hillside.

There was a similarly bitter mood from all the Slytherins as they were just about to pass through the dates of Hogwarts and into Hogsmead. But suddenly, Draco let out a sharp hiss in pain, his right hand clapping over his left arm.  
"We have to go back." He hissed through his clenched jaw. His classmates turned around and stared at him for a minute, all waiting for another person to make the first move.

"What if we're caught?" Tracey asked quietly. Pansy and Blaise gave her looks of complete shock "What? You think I want to follow all the others and leave you lot to have all the fun?" she asked with a crooked smile. "If Slughorn see's us taking off for the forest, he'll warn all the other teachers and students."

"Then we just have to make sure that he doesn't see." Draco added flatly. "He's going to go find reinforcements in Hogsmead; he'll be distracted."

"If we pretend that we're delayed by something..." Blaise said quietly, cautiously looking over his shoulder. He gave Draco a small smirk and then threw himself on the ground, shouting and swearing at the top of his lungs and gripping his stomach.

"Perfect Blaise." Draco smiled widely before he changed his expression and turned back towards the crowd that was moving steadily past them. "Can someone tell Slughorn to fetch a bubotuber!" Draco shouted frantically to the crowd. Almost as if on cue, the others all instantly began to take on similar characters; Pansy began to pace in front of Blaise like she was worried, while Daphne, Theodore, and Tracey instantly knelt down and pretended to aide him. Millicent, Crabbe, and Goyle were mumbling and shouting random things, but no one did a better acting job than Blaise, who was working up a sweat and genuinely looked like he was in severe pain.

"My goodness Blaise, I'd say that you have a career in acting ahead of you." Tracey chuckled quietly to those who were near her. Blaise, as if to reassure them, broke character for a moment and winked.

The crowd started to hurry down the hills, and the 7th year Slytherins all watched out of the corner of their eyes. Then, once the last student was far enough away to not hear them running away, Draco stood up from pretending to help Blaise and looked at his cohort.  
"Alright, I'm about to rip my skin off my arm; who's coming with me?" he barked, his hand once again rubbing his arm, trying to sooth the Dark Mark that was no doubt throbbing with pain.

"I'm expected to go." Theodore muttered as he stood up.

"Well, if you wanted to change allegiance, then_ now_ is the time _Nott_." Draco snapped.

Theodore laughed and pushed his overgrown, shaggy brown hair out of his face. "Despite what you think, Draco, I'm not that stupid." He smirked "Why would I choose tonight, of all nights, when the Dark Lord is _here_, to piss off on him?"

"Not that you wouldn't miss a fight like this for anything, eh Theo?" Tracey added with a wide smirk.

"Exactly." Theodore agreed, locking eyes with Draco, practically daring him to challenge his statement. Although Theodore was never found of Voldermort (and they all knew that), they also knew that Theodore had the same cold, calm, and collected ability to perform any and every curse on anyone; he could probably kill someone without a second thought. They all knew this, and whether Draco wanted to admit it, they all respected and somewhat feared him for it.

"Alright, so Theodore's in; who else?" Draco changed the subject. Crabbe and Goyle raised their hands, but didn't utter a word (as usual).

"Well, I'm not going to let all you boys have all the fun." Tracey announced, pulling her wand out of her pocket and twirling it around her fingers. "Someone needs to keep you all in line."

"And even though I thought that I just did my part... getting myself dirty in the process..." Blaise sighed, climbing off the ground and trying to rub the mud off his pants. "I guess I'll come along for the ride as well." Draco nodded his head curtly and looked around and the remaining girls. Pansy and Millicent looked terrified, but someone intrigued or interested in the offer.

Daphne, although momentarily distracted by Blaise fervently rubbing the stain on his clothes, was considering the idea. It would be the chance to prove to people that she was indeed intelligent and skilled at magic...  
_But if you're killed, or worse yet, CAUGHT, then that's the end of your freedom! _She debated in her head. _But then again... if Voldermort wins... then I'll be celebrated as a hero... just like everyone else tonight..._ Daphne's focus was distracted by Blaise again, and in annoyance, she flicked her wand at his pants and made the stain disappear.

"Thanks." Blaise smiled coyly. That smile still sent chills through her, but she ignored it.

"Daphne, you know that we need your skill." Draco stated flatly, like it was an obvious fact floating in front of her face.

"_Me_? But all I'm good at is charms." Daphne sniffed a quick laugh but felt her cheeks turn slightly pink at the compliment.

"And what's better than charms in a battle?" Draco smiled crookedly.

"Yeah, you float them in the air, and we kill them." Blaise laughed.

"So what do you think? Tracey and Theodore are coming too." Draco said, locking his grey eyes with hers. The thought that this could potentially be the last time she ever see's those steel coloured eyes again hit her, and she instantly felt that she would follow him anywhere.

"I'm in." She replied quietly, still staring right into his eyes.

"Well, then _we're_ in." Pansy added sharply, grabbing Millicent's arm and pulling her into the circle of Slytherins. Millicent looked at her best friend like perhaps she was insane, but didn't say anything to defy her.

"Don't make me you're reason for probably getting yourself killed." Daphne remarked smartly, giving her a glance over her shoulder, then turning her head back and smirking at Draco.

"I'm not coming because of _you_!" she hissed. "I just don't want to be the only Slytherin that is of age down in Hogsmead!"

"Sure..." Tracey added with a wicked smile, then looking deliberately at Draco and Daphne, attracting Pansy's attention to the situation as well.

There was a loud noise from the school, and Draco looked at Crabbe and Goyle. "OK, let's get inside and see if we can find Potter or someone." He turned and looked at the rest of them "Remember, DON'T kill Potter! The Dark Lord will want him for himself."

"We'll go in the school and stir up some trouble." Theodore smirked to Blaise. "I bet Blaise has some people he wants to pick off."

"Don't pretend you don't too, Nott." Blaise laughed.

"We'll go with them." Daphne added, putting her hand on Tracey's shoulder. "Make sure they keep their head in the game."

"Alright good!" Draco said as there was another loud crash from the direction of Hogwarts. "Let's just get back up there!"

The school was in absolute chaos. Everywhere they looked, there were curses whizzing past the heads of wizards and witches in every direction. Theodore and Blaise stood in front of Tracey and Daphne, who had somehow found themselves wedged up against a wall as they all tried to avoid a stray curse cast by Flitwick.  
"Let's go up to the top floors and flood them down." Theodore shouted to Blaise. He nodded, and the four of them ran to the enchanted staircases. After running up about 9 flights, they found themselves high up in the schools structure.

"North and East." Theodore commanded under his breath to Blaise. He nodded his head and grabbed Tracey's arm, pulling her towards the North and East wings of the school on the 9th floor. "We'll take South and West." He said, taking Daphne's arm and running down the nearest hallway.  
They scanned the entire floor and found that no one was up here. They met back in the centre and did the same for the next 3 floors down, but found that no one was up here and that it was taking too long.

"We need to split up and take a wing each." Blaise said, panting out of breath. "We all know how to defend ourselves; it's not like anyone's going to jump out of the shadows anyways."

"That's the_ reason_ we're up here, Blaise!" Theodore shook his head in disbelief at him. A loud bang rang from bellow them; the lights that were flooding into the room from the staircase that led to the Great hall was the colour of every curse known to wizard kind. "Alright, _fine_." Theodore agreed spitefully. "Blaise, take North; Tracey, take East." They ran off and went to scan the 5th floor in their assigned directions "Can you take West?" Theodore asked Daphne, who gave him an odd look.

"Are you asking or telling me?" she remarked in confusion.

"We don't have much time, Daphne. Just be careful, ok?" he said as he started to back away, then turned and started a full speed run down the Southern wing.  
_  
West wing it is then... _She thought as she turned from the staircases and ran down the dark hallway of the 5th floor.  
As she ran, Daphne couldn't help but remember the last time she was up here. It was this past December, when she and Draco had their fight in the Prefect bathroom.  
_Oh God, I hope he's alright! _She thought frantically, causing her pace to quicken. _He could be dead right now.... NO! Don't think like that! Concentrate Daphne! You have to help! _

She was just about to the end of the circle that the hallway made. She could see the room with all the staircases in it, it's flashing light from all the curses lighting the way for her to run. But just as she set off to a full-speed run, she felt herself yanked back, falling onto the stone floor like she had been hit by a troll.  
"Well well, what do we have here?" a man's raspy voice laughed. He reached down and yanked her into the light by her hair, causing her to scream in pain. "That's what I thought; a blood traitor in the flesh."

"Blood traitor! I'm a pure-blo-" the man yanked hard on her hair again and she let out another screech.

"Don't try and feed me your lies, girl! I'd recognise you anywhere!" the man shouted, giving her a firm kick in the stomach that made pain roll over her consciousness and almost slip her into the unconscious. She threw herself out of his grip, down to the floor, and lifted her head to see a blurry shadow standing in the light at the end of the hallway.  
_  
Theodore!_ She thought in desperation, and opened her mouth to scream, but another kick to her side silenced her.

Suddenly, everything seemed all too familiar. As she could see Theodore running towards her, hexing a younger student out of his way, it hit her with a cold wave of fear. This was her dream she had over a year ago... the dream where she died.  
_Oh my God... I'm going to die... _her mind whispered.  
Almost as if everything was happening in slow motion, the man picked her up by her hair, tipping her head towards the ceiling. She caught a brief glimpse of his face in the light of a curse that flew over them; he was a Death Eater, someone who her family was friends with...  
_What is his name! Damn it, what is his name! _Her mind tried so hard to remember, but the panic of her dream was still ringing in her mind, paralyzing all her senses.

"Tell me, girlie; what colour is the blood of a blood traitor? Is it as muddy as that of a mudblood?" he laughed evilly. Daphne tried to say something to him again, but she felt a sharp, cold blade now pressed against her throat, and she understood the question "Well, we're about to find out..."

Like she was in a dark tunnel, or 20 feet underwater, everything seemed to echo in her head. She could hear someone yelling, and she strained her eyes to see who it was. It was Theodore, still running to save her. But just as she had dreamt, he wasn't going to make it in time...  
_This is it. Good bye Draco. _She mind mourned as she closed her eyes, trying to save her from the last brutal image she would ever see. And at that moment, she felt the blade press harder into her skin, sending a momentary sharp pain to her helpless sense.

The next thing she felt was the cold stone floor. But she wasn't dead... she wasn't even bleeding! As she slowly came to attention, her hand flew up to her throat and felt no gaping wound or warm fluids pouring out of her. _My God, I'm alive! _She thought in disbelief.  
There was a loud crack behind her, then a loud swear that made her spin on the spot where she lay. She saw Theodore, standing over the man, giving him 2 swift kicks to the chest in anger.  
"You _fool_! Trying _looking _before you slit someone's throat!" he shouted at him.

"Jesus Christ, is that you Nott!?" the man groaned in pain, grabbing his face, which was pouring blood out of what was most likely his nose.

"Yes, here to deliver you a wake-up call." he said, taking two steps back and grabbing Daphne's sweater and pointing to it with the light at the end of his wand "She's in _Slytherin_, you dumbass! Don't you even look before you start killing people?!" he said, poking her house crescent on her shirt to make his point.

"What!? She looks like that blood traitor girl... what's her name again... God, I can hardly think! I think you broke my nose, Nott!"

"You deserve it." He said flattly, releasing Daphne's shirt and walking back towards the man. "And what blood traitor are you disillusioned into believing looks like a Greengrass?"

"That Weasley girl... what's her name...." he mumbled to himself. Daphne felt a single emotion of insult break through the wall of paralyzing confusion. _GINNY!?_

"I look NOTHING like the Weasley girl!" Daphne shouted at the man, swinging her feet around and kicking him in the ankle.

"I was told look for a red hair girl about your size!" he shouted in pain. "What can I say!? It's dark!"

"Dolohov, you're an idiot." Theodore sighed. "Now get out of here; the Dark Lord wants us to kill the enemies, not our own allies."  
The man stood off the floor and cracked his nose back into place, letting out a single loud swear as he did. Then, giving Theodore one last glare of malcontent, he rushed pass him, visibly limping on the ankle that Daphne kicked.

As she watched her potential murderer walk away, she felt the shock and relief all kick in at once, and suddenly began to shake.  
"Daphne, are you alright!?" Theodore breathed, rushing forward and turning her towards him. He looked at her neck and gave her a small smile "Just a small scratch." He reassured her. She sighed in deep relief and threw her arms around him.

"Oh God Theodore, I thought you weren't going to make it!" she said shakily, trying very hard not to break down into tears for the fear she just had.

"I don't think I've ever run so fast in my life." He said, sighing a little. Daphne could feel his lungs expanding and contracting very quickly against her, and she understood that he must have been waiting for her in the stairwell, and when he heard her scream, instantly knew something was wrong.

"Thank you so much, Theodore..." she whispered quietly, repeating it in a loop several times as if it was the only thing that she knew how to say.

"It's alright Daphne." He soothed, rubbing her back gently "You've got to be more careful..." he practically sighed. Daphne lifted her head from his shoulder slowly, smiling in admiration. But he was staring at her with a much different emotion, and for a brief moment, she felt her heart skip a beat.  
_He saved your life; you owe him at least this. _Her mind told her. So, with this reasoning, she tilted her head up and kissed him.

There lips had barely touched, however, when they were interrupted by the loud, booming voice of Lord Voldermort. At the sound of his voice, which rang like nails on chalkboard in Daphne's head, they parted and stared off into the distance as they listened.  
"...If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one." His voice echoed in the dark halls. All around them, the battle appeared to have stopped. At the end of the hallway, Blaise and Tracey appeared. Tracey was visibly injured, and Blaise was holding her up.

"C'mon, let's get out of here!" Blaise shouted down to them.

"I command my forces to retreat immediately!" Voldermort's voice commanded. Theodore stood and helped Daphne up, and as they vacantly listened to the rest of the Dark Lord's orders, they ran forward to meet Blaise and Tracey.

"What happened?!" Daphne demanded as she came close enough to see that Tracey's leg looked like something had attempted to devour it.

"Someone released a Redcap in the school... bloody thing tried to eat my leg before I managed to stab it with my wand." Tracey winced in pain as she tried to put weight on her leg.

"Can we apparate yet?" Blaise asked, turning to Daphne. She closed her eyes and tried, but didn't move.

"No, the shield's still up."

"Can you take it down?" Blaise asked anxiously.

"Do I _look_ like Dumbledore!?" Daphne snapped back sharply.

"It's fine, we'll just carry her." Theodore said, stepping between them and helping Tracey support herself on her other side. "C'mon, let's just get out to the Forest... our families are no doubt waiting for us."

The atmosphere of the forest where Voldermort supporters were operating out of was very edgy. By the time they got there, helping Tracey the whole way, the hour was practically up. Everyone had turned their heads anxiously when they heard the noise they were making, and let out deep breaths of annoyance when it wasn't Potter, as they expected.  
"Daphne, over here." Her father called unenthusiastically from the right side of the clearing. She gave her friends a brief look, but they nodded and headed in the same direction as their families (Tracey following Theodore). She walked slowly, carefully adjusting her hair so that it covered the mark that Dolohov's knife had made.

"You're _fighting_?!" Astoria asked in disbelief.

"As I was told by Draco, _my_ skills are useful in battle... whether any of you choose to acknowledge it or not, I could care less." Daphne remarked as she sat down on a log a few feet away from them.

"And did you kill anyone?" her mother asked in a strange tone, like she wasn't sure if she would be proud or horrified by the answer.

Daphne chuckled and shook her head "No, no one." She answered with a small smirk. "Why, should I have? Theodore thought that our duty would be best carried out forcing people down into the battle."

"Do you always listen to Nott?" Lennox remarked with a subtly sharp tone. "And the only reason we ask is being we want to be able to claim the bodies. It is a great honour to have killed in battle in order to further the right cause."

"As is, I suppose, dying." She remarked smartly.

Lennox had opened his mouth to scold her for having such a sharp tongue, but Voldermort interrupted them. He remarked that he had expected Harry to come, and that apparently he was mistaken about him... but then, Harry Potter appeared. All the supporters, including Daphne, stood from their relaxation and moved forward to see the confrontation. She was way at the back of the circle of supporters, and she could barely see what was going on, but when she saw the flash of green, Daphne understood that Potter was dead. There was silence for a few minutes, then Voldermort hissed something at someone to go check on him. Daphne pushed forward to see Potter's body, just in time to see Narcissa checking the body.  
_  
Where is Draco? _She thought suddenly, her heart taken by surprise with the panic. _Oh my God, he's not here! Oh God, he can't be- _She cut herself off as she looked around the crowd frantically for him.

"He is dead." Narcissa called out. Then, all at once, the supporters of the Dark Lord burst out it cheers, shooting up sparks into the sky like fireworks.

"About bloody time... can we go home yet?" Medea remarked sourly under her breath. Lennox gripped her arm hard to shut her up and continued to cheer with the others.

Daphne ran over to Theodore, Blaise, and Tracey, who were all standing at the other side of the clearing.  
"Have you seen Draco?!" she demanded Blaise, grabbing his shirt and pulling him away from the others.

"Ok, try not to strangle me, Daph!" Blaise growled, yanking himself out of her grip. "And no, I haven't seen Draco. He must be in the castle with Crabbe and Goyle; I don't see them either."  
_  
No no no! He must be here somewhere!? _She thought frantically, looking around once again in desperation for that familiar head of white-blonde hair. _This can't be happening! _

"Daphne!" called Theodore from across the field. She hadn't even noticed that they crowds were moving, following the silhouette of Hagrid. "C'mon, we'll look for him in the castle." He called to her reassuringly. She slowly nodded her head and ran to catch up to him. Tracey was standing beside him, her leg now healed by one of the Death Eaters, and she looked as worried for Daphne as Daphne felt for Draco.

"He's fine Daphne." She whispered quietly, taking her hand and walking with her. "He's a Death Eater; that's got to say something about the amount of skill he has."

"He's also running around in a school filled with people that _know_ he's a Death Eater." She said absently, her mind somewhere else completely. "He was just as big a target as Potter was..."  
Tracey looked at Theodore for some sort of reassurance, but he just stared back at her, unable to think of anything.

Up ahead, in the crowds of people, Daphne could see what looked like Neville Longbottom standing still as a hat burned on top of his head.  
"Wow, finally Neville has done something useful! He-" Tracey's witty banter was cut off by the sudden commotion that erupted from all around them. From the direction of Hogsmead, hundreds of people were running up the slope at them. The giants were fighting each other again on the other side of the clearing, and centaurs came running in right behind them, firing their arrows.

"Let's get inside!" Theodore called, narrowly ducking an arrow that flew past his head "Before these graceful things pummel us into the ground!" The all agreed and began to run, but Daphne didn't get far.

"Daphne, where's Astoria!?" her mother screamed at her. Daphne couldn't help but freeze and stop running towards the castle with her friends.

"I don't know mother! I saw her running towards the lake!" she called to her in the confusion, narrowly missing an arrow from a centaur.

"Find her! Find her and keep her safe!" her mother demanded in a high screech. Daphne opened her mouth and started to protest, but before she could even get a word out against her, a club of one of the giants fell between them, almost hitting her mother. "GO!" she screamed at her, then pulled out her wand and ran towards the crowd where her husband was fighting.

Helplessly, Daphne looked towards her friends, who were waiting a few meters away. She wanted so badly to follow them, but what little family ties were holding her back "Forget about it! She's got to be inside!" Tracey shouted. Daphne stared, but wasn't convinced.

"She's right, Daphne! Astoria isn't stupid enough to stay out here! She'll have gone inside!" Blaise also shouted to her.  
_  
Go with them to safety or rescue my possibly endangered sister... _She thought, standing in the middle of the battle field thinking. _If I save her, my family might start treating me like a human being... _she debated. _But if I don't save her and she's killed... my life will be hell!  
_  
She looked up at her friends once more, trying for a moment to convinced herself that following them would be better... that she had to get inside and find Draco. But if her family punished her for not helping her sister (which they surely would), then she would never get to see Draco, or anyone, ever again... that was assuming he was still alive... The thought of never seeing Draco again was all it took, and she turned and ran in the direction she last saw her sister going. She could hear Tracey shouting at her, as was Theodore, but she ignored them.

Daphne didn't have to travel far to find the head of blonde ringlets, swaying back and forward as she and her friend had a two-on-two duel with Colin Creevey and Lavender Brown.  
"ASTORIA!" Daphne shouted at her. Her blonde sister turned her head with a look of shock on her face, breaking her focus for a moment. A curse, fired by Lavender, narrowly missed her, and she turned back to the fight, sending Crucio at the girl, but missed. "Stop it! Mother wants you to go back to Hogsmead!" Daphne shouted as she ran forward and grabbed her sister.

Does it _LOOK_ like I want to go down there!?" she demanded, ripping her arm out of her grip and turning back to the fight.

"I don't _CARE_ what you want! GET DOWN THERE _NOW_!" Daphne shouted in frustration, pulling out her own wand and stunning Lavender for a moment so she would stop shooting at them.

"NO!" her sister screamed, pushing Daphne away from her. "You just want me to go away so that _you _get all the glory from mother and father!" she accused, her evil glare reflecting the fact that she was not ready to give up her title of family favourite to her.

"ARE YOU JOKING!?" Daphne shouted, grabbing her sister and pushing her to the ground. "I'M DOWN HERE BECAUSE MOTHER _TOLD_ ME TO COME GET YOU!"

"She's in Slytherin! Get her!" another girl shouted, whom she soon recognized as Padma Patil. She hexed Astoria's friend, leaving just Daphne to face all 4 of them... not to mention restrain her sister.

"Oh, this has turned to a fair fight..." she said quietly, grabbing her sister by the hair to prevent her from running away, and standing on her wand so she couldn't pick it up.

"Well let your slutty sister go and she can fight with you." Pavarti remarked with a smirk, now standing beside her sister and best friend.

"I don't need my sister to take on a bunch of nit wits like you!" Daphne laughed, then sent a hex that blasted the three girls back 15 feet. Right as she lowered her wand to turn back to her sister, a stream of green light flew right past her nose, causing her to fall backwards in shock. When she looked in the direction that it was headed, she saw Colin Creevey, looking anything but alive, roll his eyes back into his head and fall flat onto his face.

Astoria and Daphne froze, staring at the corpse of what was Colin. The girl whom they had been fighting all sat up and also saw that Colin was now dead. They immediately looked at Daphne, who stared right back at them, wide eyed and confused like them. She started to profess her innocence, but lucky for her, another green jet flew over her head and hit the ground in front of Lavender. There was no way that someone could have _that _bad of aim, and it was no doubt an empty threat to scare them off. It worked, and the 3 girls that were in Daphne's year all got up and ran away scrambling, occasionally turning back and shouting things.

Now concerned herself as to who had killed the Creevey boy, Daphne whirled around and saw nothing but the forest behind them. But then, as soon as she started to imagine the thought of someone with a disillusionment charm hiding out in the trees, her eyes caught movement behind a tree.  
"Show yourself!" She shouted, pointing her wand and the tree.

Out from behind the tree stepped the familiar silhouette of Theodore, twirling his wand absently around his fingers. He walked calmly towards then, but his face was serious and composed. "I sure hope this little brat is capable of showing gratitude." He said, staring down at Astoria as he approached. "Colin Creevey had his wand pointed right at you two; lucky he wasn't expecting a shot from nowhere."

"Theodore!... Again!" Daphne sighed with relief "You certainly are my saviour tonight, aren't you?"

"Is he _dead_?!" Astoria breathed in panic, finally pulling her hair out of her sister's grip.

"Well _duh_ Astoria! Theodore just saved your ass!" Daphne remarked smartly. Her sister stared at the body of the dead boy, and she scrambled to her feet and looked at Theodore like he was Voldermort himself.

"And you killed him!" she whispered in fear.

"Yeah, I did." He replied shortly. "And if you don't get your underage ass down to Hogsmead like your sister told you, I might kill you too."

Astoria let out a small scream and pushed her sister over onto the ground, releasing her wand from under her foot. She picked it up, looked back at Theodore once more with absolute fear in her eyes, and then ran away in the direction of Hogsmead.

"If only my death threats worked like that..." Daphne muttered, pulling herself off the ground.

"Threats are only threats until you _act_ on them..." Theodore said quietly, looking over at the body of Colin.

"Why did you do that?! Now they're going to target you!"

"No one knows that I did it, do they?" he remarked with a small smirk "Besides, that kid always annoyed me... carrying around his stupid camera and following around Potter like a bad stench."

Daphne shook her head and started to walk back towards the castle. "If you keep saving my life, I don't know how I'm going to repay you."

"How about you stop putting yourself in danger? That would suit me just fine." He teased, taking her hand gently "We have to hurry. I left Blaise and Tracey by the front door to chase after you; Lord knows that chaos Blaise has caused..."

Theodore and Daphne caught up with Tracey and Blaise just as they incapacitated a centaur, who from the looks of the bruises on Tracey's face, had been kicking and bucking like crazy.  
"Fucking pony..." Tracey muttered, rubbing her cheek bone and wincing sharply.

"C'mon, let's get inside already." Blaise said, leading Tracey with one arm and nodding to Theodore with his head.

All four of them entered the Entrance Hall just in time to see legions of House elves pouring out of the kitchens. One of them stabbed a knife right into Blaise's foot, which he kicked off and continued to limp along with them.

"I am NEVER having a house elf!" he shouted in rage as he beat a few more off with some curse Daphne didn't see.

"Where should we go now?" Daphne shouted to Theodore, who couldn't hear her.

"GET DOWN!" Tracey shouted, pushing the boys across the hallway, narrowly saving them from a curse that flew just over their heads. Daphne looked down the hallway to see Pansy, trying to duel with Katie Bell.  
_  
YOU! _Daphne thought angrily, her rage finally reaching the point where she could no longer contain it. They had yet to find Draco, and as far as she knew, he was dead! Her life would have been so much easier had it not been for Pansy Parkinson! _Well, then I'm going to make the rest of my life, no matter how short or long it is, just THAT much easier.  
_  
She turned sharply, facing away from Tracey and the others, who as far as Daphne knew were preoccupied fighting their own battles. She raised her wand, took aim, and shouted "AVADA KEDAVRA!" in her direction, and watched the green jet miss her by mere centimetres.

"Daphne!?" Tracey breathed in pleasant surprise. "Are you having fun without me?" she smirked before she stood beside her best friend and fired the same curse at Pansy, also missing. "Apparently our aim isn't that great."

"WHO KEEPS SHOOTING AT ME!?" she screamed, having incapacitated Katie Bell at last. She turned around in a circle like a lion kept in a cage that was too small for it. When she saw Daphne and Tracey both standing down the hall from her, both holding their wands up and staring directly at her, her face went white with shock and surprise.

"God Pansy, you look awful." Tracey called devilishly to her, firing a hex at her. Pansy dodged it, but her face looked even more horrified now. She raised her wand to defend herself, but was bumped out of the way and into a wall by a centaur, knocking her out cold. "Well... not nearly the same effect, but it shut her up." Tracey smiled.

There was a large bang, like an explosion went off. Theodore called for Tracey and Daphne to follow, and they ran into the Great Hall, wands drawn. Someone shouted something, and then they saw it, standing in the centre of the hall, circling with the Dark Lord, was Harry Potter.

"What the _hell_!? I thought he was _dead_!" Tracey hissed to the others. They all just stared, completely dumbfounded by what was happening. They all watched and listened to the story that Harry Potter was painting, all about Snape, his love for Harry's mother, and how he possessed something called the Elder Wand.

"What the _hell_ is he talking about!?" Blaise whispered quietly, watching Harry and Voldermort with the same anticipation as the rest of the hall. Then, as the sun rose, reflecting red light into the Great Hall as it tolled morning, Harry and Voldermort finally had their last duel. And after a loud bang that nearly knocked Daphne over, she looked back at the centre of the room and saw Voldermort's body hit the floor.

There was a loud, deafening cheer from all around them, and in the confusion, Theodore and Blaise grabbed the two girls and pulled them out of the hall.  
"What are you doing!?" Tracey demanded, practically shouting over all the noise.

"We have to get out of here! Voldermort is dead, which means we all have cells in Azkaban waiting for us." Theodore hissed across to her. "We have to get down to Hogsmead and apparate out of here."

Daphne saw the logic in his statement, and stopped trying to turn around to watch the activity. He had a very valid point; the last thing she wanted was to end up in Azkaban.  
Just as they were about to exit the Great Hall, possibly getting away unscathed, a sharp hand came down on Daphne's shoulder.

"Daphne, come with us." The familiar booming voice of her father commanded. Theodore froze and gave Lennox a very concerned but defiant look. "Get yourselves out of here, now!" he hissed at them. Theodore gave Daphne a look of helplessness; she knew the last thing he would want to do is fight her father. He nodded his head and continued on with Tracey and Blaise.

"Father, we should follow them. We have to get out of here before-"

"We won't need to." He growled down at her, dragging her over into a corner of the Great Hall. "We're switching sides."

"What, _now_!? It's a little late, father!" Daphne hissed angrily.

"Did you kill anyone, Daphne?" he demanded, shaking her a little.

"No!" she answered immediately.

"Did you cast _any_ unforgiveable curses?" he demanded again. Daphne froze as she thought about that. She did cast one, and it was directed towards Pansy. She nodded her head slowly. "Give me your wand." He demanded, ripping it out of her hand before she could even respond. With one of his strong hands, he snapped it in half and threw it into the crowd.

"Father, what-" Daphne started, her mouth open in shock as she stared at her snapped wand flying through the air, landing somewhere in the pile of Potter supporters.

"Before the end of the battle, when Narcissa told Lucius and I that Harry Potter was indeed _alive_, we switched sides." He whispered to her. "Now, had we been able to find you and your sister, we would have told you this sooner, so that is why I had to throw away your wand; they may check our wands if there is suspicion towards us. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"So... we're on _their _side? Once we understood that Harry Potter, who was righteous and clearly fighting for the _right _cause since he was not killed by Voldermort, we decided that it was a sign that we were fighting for the _wrong_ side, and changed our allegiance." She said aloud, practicing her speech that she would no doubt have to repeat before a Wizengamot court.

"Very good Daphne." He said with a small smile "I believe I may have underestimated you."

Her father led her over to the table where she saw her mother and sister sitting, across from Lucius and Narcissa. And there, beside his mother, who was tending to his injuries, was Draco. As if she had always been with him, like he was the only love she would ever have, she ran forward, calling his name nearly in tears. Draco saw her coming and stood up from the bench, smiling weakly at her. She ran forward and practically leapt into his arms, planting a big, passionate kiss on his lips, which he returned after a moment of shock.

"Oh God Draco, I was so worried! Where were you!? What happened to you!? Oh, thank _God _you're ok!" Daphne cried hysterically, hugging him so close that he was having trouble breathing.

"I'll tell you later, Daphne." He chuckled quietly. "In the mean time, we have to convince everyone in this room that we are on their side... it will be hard, but I think we can do it." He whispered quietly as he took his seat beside his mother.

"You're right... we'll talk later." She sighed, staring back into the grey eyes she almost thought she would never see again, and then took a seat beside him on the bench. Under the table, he reached over to her and took her hand, giving it a small squeeze of reassurance.

Across the hall, at the door, Pansy Parkinson appeared, looking clearly dazed and confused. She took 10 steps forward, saw Voldermort's body, and back up towards the door in fear. She caught Draco's eye and saw that he was sitting with Daphne; her eyes widened even more, and she ran out of the Great Hall in a full-speed run.  
"What's the matter with her?" Draco asked, looking at Daphne with curious eyes. She looked back at him and smirked very slightly.

"I haven't a clue." She replied lightly, giving his hand a small squeeze. The sun had now almost completely risen, and the light in the hall was making Draco's hair practically glow like a halo.  
_  
I would have killed her for you... _she thought peacefully, _I would have killed anyone for you... I love you so much, Draco Malfoy... and now I finally have the chance to prove it. _

**_AN: Annnnnnd we are OFFICIALLY out of canon plot! .... Or at least for a little while (hint hint... hehe)  
BUT FEAR NOT! I still have a good..... ohhh, let's see.... rough estimate is about 6 chapters to write! LOL!  
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW AS ALWAYS!!!  
And HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE :)_**


	26. Shattered Happiness

**_AN: Hello again! Happy New Year to everyone by the way.  
So I know that the plot in this chapter moves VERY quickly, but it's because I just wanted to get it out of the way so I can make way for the good, juicy plot that I have ahead!  
Hope you enjoy it! It should feed your salivating appetites for now :)_**

The July sun was beating down brightly from the sky that afternoon, and Daphne was taking advantage of her peace and quiet by sitting out in the gazebo, taking in the vast view of Woodbridge. A cool, summer breeze blew from the direction of the river, and she sighed in content; she had been home for 2 months now, and life couldn't be more perfect.

After the Battle of Hogwarts, as the Daily Prophet referred to it, school had been released early. But, for those who were graduating that year, they were invited to take their exams at the Ministry (now under the leadership of Kingsley Shacklebolt) which Daphne passed with surprising success. Now, she was in the process of getting an internship at the Ministry, under the Department of Disillusionment, who were responsible for implicating charms on Wizarding domains such as Hogwarts or the Quidditch World Cup to keep Muggles out. She hadn't heard back yet, but seeing as the man who interviewed her was a long time friend of her Grandfather, she had a feeling that she was going to get it...

Her love life had also picked up significantly. Draco now visited almost weekly, usually on Friday's as he headed home from work. He managed to get a job in the Department for International Magical Cooperation, working as the assistant for one of the heads of a sub-department. They had nothing standing between them now that Pansy had fled to the United States and changed her name (since her family had been tied back to large amounts of support to many convicted supporters of Voldermort), so their relationship was at last real. Plus, Draco was very much alone now, since his two best friends were now inaccessible or dead, with Goyle was sent to Azkaban and Crabbe was killed during the Battle of Hogwarts. Pansy must have found herself in a similar situation when she found out that Millicent was killed as well that same night.  
_  
I also imagine that finding out that your boyfriends family has ratted you out and are willing to testify against you is also a little disheartening. _Daphne thought with a smirk as she picked up her newest copy of Teen Witch Weekly and flipped over the front cover. It wasn't a detail that neither Draco nor Daphne were proud of, but they were not expected to plead not-guilty along with their families against anyone that their fathers told them. Of course, Daphne had no problem pointing the finger at Pansy, but she was worried about possibly having to rat out Theodore... who_ did_ save her life.

She hadn't seen Theodore since the Battle of Hogwarts, but he had written her to tell her that he, Tracey, and Blaise had all gotten away, and that they weren't under any suspicion to being involved in the attacks since no one saw them curse anyone. He did, however, mention that his father was back in Azkaban, but unlike before, Theodore was living on his own in London. He told her she had an open invitation to come and visit, but she felt a little weary in going...  
_  
What on earth would I say to him? 'I know you saved my life and all, but I like Draco more; Sorry'? _She told herself. _I'd have to think of a better speech then that... not to mention he's so busy working to get into the Wizengamot, he'll probably be busy every time I try to visit...  
_  
Life had carried on with all the Slytherin's that remained free and in England as if they were on summer vacation. They were all busy applying to jobs, and all wrote each other every once in a while, telling them that they wished them luck in their job hunts, and that they would have to get together soon...  
_Everyone says stuff like that when they can't be bothered to make the effort themselves... we're all too busy trying to rebuild and start up our own lives... trying to escape our parents shadows... Easier said than done...  
_  
"Daphne." Medea called from the back door of the house. "Your friend is here."

She rolled her eyes and stood up from the lounge chair she was sitting in. Her mother knew damn well that they were not just friends, but for some reason that she could never understand, she refused to call Draco anything but 'your friend' or 'Lucius's son'.  
"Send him back here." She called to her mother, standing at the top of the step of the gazebo, leaning on the support beam as her heart began its weekly marathon. A minute later, Draco walked out the back door, still dressed in his work clothes, and Daphne could feel the subconscious smile of infatuation sneak onto her face.

"Relaxing?" Draco smirked as he stepped up into the gazebo with her, giving her a kiss as he passed.

"Mmm, yes; I've had a hard day of nothing." Daphne mused as she took his hand and led him over to the chairs that overlooked the town. "How was work this week? You don't look nearly as tired as you did last week."

"I'm working much harder, but it's not as tolling on me since I don't have Potter and the aurors banging on my office door every five minutes asking me questions."

"When will he give up!?" Daphne sighed, flopping back against her chair in frustration. "Our families have given them our full cooperation, and yet he seems to expect us to turn over every man, woman, and child we ever met!"

"Well, Shacklebolt wants to bring in a new regime of laws and policy, so I think he's trying to get all the supporters out of the Ministry as best he can... at least, all the high up and powerful ones." He smiled contently to himself "Not people like us." He pulled something out of his pocket and held it out in front of her. "Speaking of jobs, your mother handed this to me on the way out." He smiled. Daphne, eyes wide and anxious, snatched it excitedly from his hands and tore the envelope open. She read down a few lines, then smiled from ear to ear.

"I got it! I got the job!" she cheered.

"I knew you would." Draco congratulated "A mind like yours deserves _some_ recognition, after all. What else does it say?"

Daphne smiled at his compliment, then looked back and continued to read the letter. It told her standard information, like she was to report to the main office on Monday at 10am, when she would be assigned an office and her duties for the week...  
_'And as of next Friday, you will be accompanying the department to the Quidditch World Cup preparation, which will take a month. Here, you will be taught the skills you need to create and maintain the proper charms to keep Muggles and other unwanted visitors out of the area.'  
_  
"Oh... that's interesting..." she said quietly, then looking back up at Draco. "It says I have to go away for a month, to learn how to put the charms on the Quidditch World Cup..."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Draco asked, his brows furrowed a little at her statement.

"Well, it means I'll be away from you." She pouted.

"And that matters because?" he chuckled, taking her hand. "We've waited this long to be together; surely we can survive being a month apart." He pointed out lightly.

"You have a lot of faith in me, do you?" Daphne smirked very slightly.

Draco smiled seductively and stood from his chair, taking the two steps towards her and leaning over her chair, his face now inches away from her. "A month is nothing; you'll be home before you know it." He said in a low voice that sent shivers of anticipation up Daphne's spine. "And you'll be right back with me."

"Mmm, right back _where_ with you?" Daphne teased as she grabbed his collar and pulled him closer so she could kiss him.

"That depends on my mood, doesn't it?" he said in the same sultry tone as be broke away from her kiss only for an instant, then resumed the same affection.

They kissed for only a few minutes more before they were interrupted by the shrill call of Medea from the house. "Dinner is ready! Is your friend staying?" she called from the back door of the house. Daphne rolled her eyes in annoyance, then looked at Draco.

"Are you going to stay tonight, _'friend'_?" she asked with a smile.

"No, I'd best get home." He sighed, standing from the chair they were both sitting on and fixing his shirt. "My mother will want me home for dinner I imagine."

"Ah... I see." Daphne sighed as she too stood from the lounge chair. "Well, will I see you before I go away?"

"I don't know. I have work too, remember? I'd imagine that Cork will give me another assignment on Monday... It's hard to say." He brushed a piece of pollen off his pants as he absently spoke.

"But you'll try to come see me, won't you?" Daphne asked, sounding more like a plea than she wanted it to. Draco caught the meaning and smiled at her with his perfect, white teeth. He placed his arms gently on her hips and pulled her towards him so he could give her one more kiss.

"I will try my hardest." He whispered to her, making Daphne swoon. "I should get going though. Tell your parents I say hello, and I'll to stop by next week." He assured her, glancing at his watch and starting back towards the house. Although he could apparate, both Daphne and Draco's homes had anti-Apparation charms on them. Daphne watch as he slipped past her mother, nodding his head and giving her a pleasant greeting (as always), then entered the house to use their Floo Powder.  
_  
A month away from him... What on earth will I do with myself? _She sighed as she picked up her magazine and slowly trudged out of the gazebo and made her way towards her house. _But he has a very valid point. After all, the 2 years of waiting is nothing compared to one, solitary month. _She smiled wickedly at her next thought; _And with Pansy hiding in America, I have no threat whatsoever against me..._

Draco did not make it back before she had to leave a week later. He did, however, send a letter addressed from his work, telling her that he would miss her and that he hoped she had a lovely trip. Daphne folded it up and tucked it in with her things as she finished packing her trunk. A few minutes later, she used Floo Powder to get back to the Ministry, and met up with all the other interns in the atrium.

Her month went by so quickly that she barely felt like she had left. Every day, her and the team she was on were required to travel out to the borders, making sure that the barriers were holding up well, and would often have to help sort out portkeys and Apparation times so that people could teleport into the area at a designated time. Every day she would wake up at 6am, running the entire perimeter of the grounds, and every night at 10:30, she would pass out on her bunk in the tent, only to wake up and do the same thing again the next day. But despite the exhausting routine, Daphne loved what she was doing. Being able to disillusion something so big as the Quidditch World Cup made her feel like she had at last accomplished something so grand that even her family could not diminish its importance.  
_  
Draco will be so proud of me... He always knew that I was smart, and now I've simply proved it to the rest of the wizarding world. _She thought dreamily as she packed up her things the last night. Everyone else was gathering in the main tent to overhear some sort of congratulatory speech, and Daphne was running late, but she was in no hurry; the thought that 12 hours from now, she would be home and back in Draco's arms was more than enough to bewitch her sense of time.  
Just as she was about to run out of her tent to catch up with her co-workers and their celebration, she almost knocked over her boss, who was about to ring her tent's bell.

"Oh, there you are Daphne! I was just coming to find you." Mr. Crutts smiled brightly as she attempted to avoid impact with her elderly boss.

"I'm so sorry! I was just on my way to the dinner." She stammered quickly "I know it started at 8, but I just got a letter from my boyfriend and-"

"Oh, that's alright, Daphne!" he laughed heartily "I actually just left the party to come find you. I'm glad I caught you alone." Mr. Crutts pulled a comb out of his pocket and attempted to fix his balding comb-over of ash-blond hair. "I must say that I have been very impressed by your abilities these past few weeks." He started in a friendly voice. "When your grandfather suggested that you might have some ability in charms, I had no idea he was so modest about you!" he laughed heartily. Daphne stood in the doorway of her tent awkwardly as she waited for her boss to finish his flattery of her skills and get to his point. "I know that I'm not supposed to hired interns right onto the disillusionment team, but I'm sure I can sway the others to make an exception for you if you're interested." His eye's shining brightly at the prospect of Daphne accepting.

"Oh! I-" she paused for a brief moment. "You mean I would just skip the training?" she asked curiously. Her heart beat was quickening, and she felt a smile washing over her face.

"There is no need for you to go to training when you've proved yourself here!" Mr. Crutts laughed.

"You really think so!? Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Crutts!" she exclaimed breathlessly.

"So do you accept? It will mean you'll have to come with us tomorrow to our next assignment." He added eagerly.

Daphne's face faltered a little, and she felt the smile droop a little. If she accepted, she would miss out on seeing Draco... and she wasn't sure if her heart could take being away from him for so long.

"Oh... well, I'm not sure if I can go tomorrow..." she said quietly. "I had plans for when I get home tomorrow... I wanted to see my boyfriend."

"This is a fairly rare opportunity, Daphne." Mr. Crutts stated in an even, but not angry, tone. He had a knowing look in his eyes, like he understood her reasoning, but knew that this was a much better idea. "I'm sure he'll be thrilled to know that you've been promoted so soon." He added with raised eyebrows.

"I know he will... but I miss him terribly." She said shyly. Mr. Crutts sighed, and Daphne instantly felt obliged to speak. "Look, Mr. Crutts, don't think that I don't want to accept the offer because I do! It's just..." she trailed off for a moment. "I'm really sorry, but I just need to think about it for a while..."

Mr. Crutts stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what her motives were, but when he found nothing, he sighed again and smiled genuinely. "Alright, Daphne; I'll give you a few days to think it over." He said reluctantly. "And when you decide to accept," he gave her a knowing wink "You can send me an owl, and I'll send you our location and make accommodation arrangements for you."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Crutts. And that you for taking such a huge chance with me." She smiled widely.

"A witch like you? We would never let someone with your talent go to waste! What did you think I was going to do with you? Stick you behind a desk where you'll do nothing?" he joked. Daphne felt her cheeks going slightly pink at the flattery. "Now, let's go back and join your fellow interns... they should have a chance to converse with you before you become their new boss." He smiled and winked again. Daphne giggled lightly, and followed her boss out of her tent.

The party was nothing more than a social gathering, where they all sat on couches in one of the supervisor's tents and drank wine. Daphne couldn't help but feel awkward as she looked around at the 10 other interns, some of whom were almost 4 years older than her, and out of all of them, she had been chosen to have a permanent and full-time job.  
_Well that must say something about me... I'm sure when I tell mother and father, they'll diminish it or make it seem like a fluke as always, but Draco and Astoria won't be able to deny that I've successfully made a place for myself in the world! _She paused and took the last sip of her wine. _One step closer to freedom... one step closer to living the life I deserve._

When she returned home the next morning, she wasn't surprised when her family apparently forgot or didn't care that she was coming home. She lugged her trunk up the stairs from the drawing room, where she had popped out of the fireplace just after 11am unnoticed.  
Slightly irritated at the cold welcome home, she noisily pulled her trunk through the threshold of her bedroom, surely bringing some attention to her arrival. And just as Daphne kicked open her trunk and was waving her wand about her room, magically putting her things away, her mother walked in with an absent look on her face.  
"Oh, you're home." She said in a less-than-enthusiastic tone. Daphne rolled her eyes, not answering her. "How was it?" she asked flatly.

"Fine. I got offered a permanent job." Daphne replied back in the same disinterested tone.

"Good." She replied back lightly. "Well, you'll have to get dressed right away. Astoria's new boyfriend is coming over for tea in a few minutes." She said in a tone that was much more attentive.

"What number is this one... 405?" Daphne remarked sarcastically. Medea raised her hand threateningly to shut her daughter up.

"Just get dressed." She hissed, and then disappeared from the room in a hurry, no doubt off to prepare her precious Astoria.

"Great... just what I wanted to do today." Daphne mumbled to herself as she pulled a pink sweater and a pair of grey pants out of her closet and threw them on. Then, without much effort, she fixed her hair and make-up, and shoved her trunk back into her closet. Finally, after she pulled on her brown Mary-Jane's, she trudged down the stairs and plopped herself down on the couch in the drawing room, where her sister and mother were already waiting.

As expected, Astoria was done up like she was getting married, looking older than Daphne did in the outfit she was wearing, and a smirk on her face that confused but annoyed Daphne.  
"What are you looking at me like that for?" Daphne demanded in a low voice when her mother jumped up to go get the tea.

"Oh, nothing." She said with an even wider smirk "I'm just excited that mother and father are so approving of my boyfriend."

"I can't imagine why... no doubt he's either 35, or he's some dolt of a boy that barely passed his OWLS." Daphne remarked smartly.

Astoria didn't say anything back; she just narrowed her eyes momentarily, but still had that same smirk on her face. All of the sudden, she perked up and her smile changed as she faced the door. First, their mother came in, carrying a tray of tea. She handed one of the cups to Daphne, then told Astoria to go wait for their guest in the front foyer.

"Try to behave yourself while our guest is here." Medea hissed over at Daphne as she stirred some sugar into her tea. She made a small face at her mother then, lifted her cup to take a sip of her drink. From the corner of her eye, she saw Astoria skip back into the room, someone's arm in tow...

And then Daphne thought that she had died.

Waltzing in behind her, looking happy and at home in her thieving sister's grasp, was Draco. Daphne felt her whole body freeze as her wide eyes tried to take in what she was seeing. First she tried blinking 6 times in a row in an attempt to make the picture before her change. When that didn't work, she deliberately put her hand against the hot porcelain; the sharp pain of heat told her that she indeed was not dreaming... this was really happening. Draco was really holding Astoria's hand. Draco was _really_ sitting on the couch beside her. _Draco_ was _really_ dating her little sister!

Daphne had yet to take a breath, and it was only when her sister caught her eye that she took in a sharp breath of shock.  
"Daphne, you know Draco, right?" she said in a coy voice, the look on her face sending chills up Daphne's spine. She knew something... Whatever she knew, Daphne wasn't sure, but she knew enough to know that stealing Draco away from her would destroy her!  
She noticed that Draco did not make eye contact with Daphne at the mention of their knowing each other. He didn't say anything either; he just reached for a teacup on the table and began to pour milk into it.  
_  
He knows too..._ she thought in disbelief, every ounce of her strength fighting the urge to scream. _He knows that he's betrayed me... he won't even look at me.... damn it, LOOK AT ME! _She thought in fury, her eyes getting wider and more infuriated as she sat there.

"Daphne, are you going to answer your sister?" Medea asked smartly. At that exact moment, Draco lifted his eyes from his tea and caught her staring at him. He stared right back at her for a few moments, then turned back to his tea cup.  
_  
You bastard. _She thought angrily. And with that, her restraint snapped, and she threw her porcelain tea cup onto the slate floor, causing it to shatter and spill hot tea all over the nearby Persian rug. She stood up lighting fast, ignoring the indignant gasp of her sister, the shriek of anger from her mother, and the noted silence from Draco, and ran from the drawing room up into her bedroom.

Once inside her room, she slammed her door closed so hard that she thought she might put a hole in it. As soon as it closed, she felt everything break away from her restraint. She started to sob, and in an attempt to stop herself from crying loud enough for anyone to hear, she began to hyperventilate. Her whole body shook worse than it ever had. She fell to the floor, as her legs could no longer hold her up, and watched in horror as her entire body convulsed with rage. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. All she could do was cry.

As she expected, her peace was short lived. Her father burst into her room only a minute later, his loud booming voice shouting about the mess she had made, and demanding why she stormed out like that.  
"I don't know how you're ever going to find someone like your sister has if you keep acting like that!" he boomed, his face red with anger. Daphne couldn't stop crying and she couldn't stand, so her father grabbed her by the back of her shirt, hoisted her up, and pushed her onto her bed, where she sobbed even harder. She would have normally felt extremely embarrassed by this situation, but right now, she didn't care.  
_  
Astoria has taken him from me... that damn little bitch has stolen the one thing in life that ever meant anything to me... _She thought, her mind slowly unravelling with each sob into her pillows.

"I hate her..." she said between cries.

"What did you say?" Lennox sighed in annoyance, irritated by his daughter's fit.

"I HATE her!" she screamed back, suddenly getting a rush of strength and standing from her bed, now facing her father. Her whole body shook with fury still as she screamed "I HATE HER! I HATE HER!" right at him, and watched as his face contorted into even more anger.

"What is your problem!?" Lennox shouted at her "You're acting like you're in hysterics!"

"I AM IN HYSTERICS! I HATE HER MORE THAN ANYTHING AND ANYONE IN THIS WORLD!" she shouted, running towards her door and flinging it open "I HATE YOU, YOU STUPID WHORE! I HOPE YOU DIE!" she shouted out the door, knowing perfectly well that her sister (and Draco) could hear. As soon as she said her last word, she felt a sharp tug on her shirt that yanked her back into the room, and then a loud bang of the door slamming.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!" Lennox shouted as she shoved her onto the floor.

"Oh PISS OFF!" she shouted at her father, and watched his eyes grow wide with shock momentarily.

"What did you say?" he demanded in a voice so low that it shook the room.

"I said _PISS OFF_!" she repeated again. "I can't believe this family! I leave for one month, and you let her do this!?"

"What are you raving about now?" Lennox rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Astoria! Deciding that she wants to date Draco now! They didn't even _KNOW_ each other until after I left! WHAT HAPPENED!" she demanded.

"We invited the Malfoy's over for dinner, and Draco and Astoria instantly had some sort of attraction to one another! Surely you can't be jealous of something like fate!" Lennox explained, shaking his head slowly like he was disgusted with her.

"Oh, yes, FATE!" Daphne laughed. "Well, FATE will have it that I am LEAVING!" she shouted through the tears that were coming back with a vengeance. She jumped up from the floor, pulled her trunk out of the closet, and began enchanting all her belongings and furniture into it. As her dressers and bed flew past her, they shrank down to a miniature version of what they really were, saving space and time as she emptied the contents of her room. Eris, her poor cat that was sleeping on her chair, was suddenly snapped into a cage and thrown into the trunk as well.

"You aren't going ANYWHERE! You are my daughter, and you will stay where I tell you!" Lennox shouted, grabbing Daphne's wand hand and tried to stop her from casting any more spells. But in her rage and temporary insanity, she shoved her father away from her and continued to pack. It only took another few seconds before her trunk lid snapped closed, and she levitated it behind her as she stormed out of her room.

As she ran down the staircase, she could hear her father shouting various profanities at her, and her mother, who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her hysterical daughters, shrieking like a caged bird at her as well.  
"...HOW DARE YOU CALL YOU SISTER A WHORE!"

"YOU WILL STAY WHERE I TELL YOU TO, OR SO HELP ME GOD-"

"This is so TYPICAL of you, Daphne! You're always having these DRAMATIC fits every 5 minutes!"

"ENOUGH!" Daphne screamed so loud that they both stopped in shock. "JUST SHUT UP! I don't want to hear either of you speak again!"

"I ought wring your neck, you foul little bitch!" her father threatened.

"I'm of age! I'll do whatever the hell I want, and none of you can stop me!" she sneered at them, then turned and continued towards the dining room, which had a Floo Powder grate that she could use, thus avoiding Draco. The mere thought of him, sitting in that room with her, set her into a sobbing fit again, and she almost couldn't keep walking. But she pushed herself forward, and as she was close enough to the fire that she could disappear in mere seconds.

"Everything you own in that trunk belongs to _me_." Lennox growled angrily. "If you even_ think_ about going anywhere, I'll put you in Azkaban for theft!"

"Oh, now _I'M _the thief!?" Daphne laughed, throwing the trunk into the fireplace and standing beside it "If you want to see a real thief, just go look in that room!" she shouted, pointing in the direction of the drawing room.

"I will never understand how we ended up with a child like you!" Medea hissed in rage. "Astoria is a model child, and you're-"

"Exactly what you made me! Through all your quips and put-downs, I've become your worst nightmare! And I have to say, I enjoy every second of it!" Daphne snarled. Then, she took a handful of Floo powder, and just as she saw her father running forward to grab her, she threw it down, her destination drowned out by her mother's screams of hatred.

With a loud thud, and a quick crash beside her, Daphne landed in Tracey's living room. She knew that her best friend wouldn't be home, but she needed to hide somewhere until she got her head together. Throwing her trunk aside after she pulled Eris's cage out (so the animal could breathe), she collapsed onto the hardwood floor of her best friends cottage. Tracey had moved out shortly after they left Hogwarts, having had enough of her parents rekindled love affair... not to mention her mother was expecting another child... And as Tracey so diligently told everyone, she 'refused to be their nanny, and didn't want to get in the way of them raising yet another love child of theirs.' Now she lived up in Scotland, just outside of Glasgow, where no one disturbed her peace.  
_  
Except me... stupid, foolish, dramatic, naive Daphne! _She thought as she started to silently sob again. She didn't understand how she could have let this happen to herself; where did she go wrong with Draco?!  
_I did everything I should have! I gave him everything! And yet he cruises right past me and sweeps up my sister. _She thought with distain. _And no doubt now she'll decide to settle with him... just to spite me... God I hate her... I truly do hate her! What did I ever do to her!? I was a good sister before she turned into the spoiled, selfish girl she is! Yes, I was jealous of all the attention she received for being so beautiful, but I still tried to be a good sister... I even saved her_ life_ after all she put me through!  
_"And look how she repaid you." Daphne whispered quietly to herself. "Look how all of them repaid you! You never asked for anything... I never asked for anything that any human doesn't deserve... love and affection and respect." She held back the sobs that were trying to break through. "Apparently I'm nothing to any of them... my family I always knew... They pretended that I wasn't dating him just so they could move their little princess into my place." She muttered to herself. Something caught her eye, and she turned to see a bottle of goblin wine sitting on top of the cabinet behind the couch. Without even taking a second thought, she jumped up from the floor, snatched it up, and downed the contents to herself...

*******  
Life went on in a drunken blur for the next year for Daphne. Tracey had come home 2 hours later to find Daphne passed out on her living room floor, lying in a pool of her own vomit. She nursed her back to health (or sobriety) as best she could, then suggested that she go home. Daphne, who was too embarrassed and depressed to tell Tracey why she was there in the first place, made up that her and her parents had a big fight, and she was moving out. Tracey, being her best friend, offered her a room in her cottage, or to help her find a place of her own. Feeling that she didn't want to be a burden, as she always felt her entire life, she insisted on finding her own place.

They found a flat in London, just at the edge of Piccadilly. It was rather run down, and so of course it was rather cheap, but once Daphne moved in and magically fixed the cracked ceiling and mouldy floors, it looked like something the Minister of Magic could live in. Daphne and Eris lived quietly, scarcely aware of the lives of anyone else around them.  
Her next task was the sent an owl to Mr. Crutts and accepted his offer for a job. _After all, _she thought, _I need some sort of income to support my living...  
_  
Living, however, was no longer as pleasant as it once was. Now that all her delusions of good and decent in the world had been blown apart, and not to mention the love of her life had left her for her sister, she found herself in a deep depression, which was only fuelled by a drinking habit she picked up along the way. It wasn't uncommon for her to spend more money on booze than food some weeks, and she would sometimes get so drunk that she would wake up in the middle of the afternoon the next day, having slept through work and forgotten to feed Eris (again).

Her life was in shambles, and she knew it. But the worst part of all was that she didn't want to change. She didn't want to get better, to feel better, or to even try to pretend that she was better; there was no point as far as she was concerned. So, of course, when she received the letter announcing Draco and Astoria's engagement, she almost drank herself to death that night. If Tracey hadn't stopped by for her weekly visit, Daphne would have either choked to death on her own vomit, or died of alcohol poisoning. But as gratefully as Daphne was for Tracey bringing her to St. Mungo's, thus saving her life, she secretly wished that she hadn't...

Eight months later, when Tracey was by for her weekly visit, Daphne received a letter from her family, asking her if she would 'perform her duty to her sister and be her maid of honour.' Daphne barked a bitter laugh and took a sip of her third glass of wine.  
"What is it?" Tracey asked as she drank her orange juice; she didn't have a stomach for drinking after having taken care of Daphne so often.

"They want me to be Astoria's maid of honour at her wedding in July." Daphne muttered, staring at the letter with malcontent, like her family could see the hatred in her eyes as she stared at their signatures at the bottom. "They must be out of their bleeding minds if they think I'll be _her_ maid of honour. I'd rather get eaten alive by a redcap."

Tracey sighed a little, and then suddenly seemed to realize something. Her expression changed from annoyance to villainy, which instantly grabbed Daphne's silent but devoted attention. "Why not accept the offer?"

"Tracey, have you been smoking!? Why the fu-"

"Just listen to me, Daph." Tracey said gently, calmly watching her best friend cringe at the nickname she hated. Daphne made a face and then sat in silence, listening to her friends plan. "Accept the offer... and destroy the wedding from the inside." She smirked. "You know very well that if you were to refuse, and then showed up at the wedding, they would know that you're up to no good. But if you accept, and pretend that you've mended all ties, then you can cause twice as much destruction!" she paused and smirked a little wider before she added "You may even prevent Draco from marrying your sister."

Daphne sat in silence for a few moments as she carefully turned the plan over in her mind. It certainly would be much easier to destroy (or kill) her sister and her wedding from the inside... after all, the Dark Lord's supporters operated using that exact principle in the Ministry of Magic for decades; it couldn't be that hard to do!  
"I think you may be on to something..." Daphne smirked wickidly as she looked at the letter again, then pulled a piece of parchment of of the desk drawer beside her and began to pen her acceptance...

**_AN: Getting closer.... Ahhhh!!!  
Hope you enjoyed it, despite going everywhere all at once!_**

REVIEW AS USUAL!  
Remember, reviews make me write faster. Also, I enabled anonymus reviews too, just because I want more! Muahahaha  
Thanks!


	27. Plans

**_AN: SOOO!! Sorry I took FOREVER to update, but anyone who's in post-secondary school knows that the second term is INSANE compared to the first... seriously... I have SO much work to do!  
But, because I'm determined, I updated as soon as I could :)  
Here's the update!! ENJOY!_**

(2000)  
After her parents received the letter of acceptance from Daphne, they were extremely shocked that she also volunteered to come with her sister and pick out the dresses. Today, as Daphne gathered her belongings and fed Eris, she was plotting all the horrible things she could do to her sister today.  
"I could sabotage the order... change the sizing or even the colour!" she mumbled to herself as she poured the kibble into Eris's dish on the counter; the now 6 year old Siamese meowed in gratitude and began to eat. "I'm glad someone appreciates me." She sighed as she smoothed her cats fur.  
The clock above her mantel chimed 1, which meant that her mother and sister were no doubt stirring anxiously as they waited for her in Diagon Alley.  
"Best not keep them waiting, hmm Eris?" she smirked as she crossed the kitchen and walked into the living room. She picked up her purse, stepped into the fireplace, and sighed as she transported herself to the closest distance she had been to her mother and sister in almost 2 years.

The date for the wedding was in 2 months, and as every day passed bringing them closer to July, Daphne felt as if her soul was fading away. She wasn't sure how well she was going to hold up against her sister and her bragging for the next two months, but she reassured herself every day that suffering now was worth it if she made her sister suffer later.  
_And if I'm really lucky, maybe the wedding will be called off. My family will hunt me down and try to kill me, but I'm smart enough, not to mention talented enough, to make sure they never find me. _She told herself with a small smile as she exited the fireplace of Twilfitt and Tatting's and dusted the soot off her robes.

"Daphne?!" her sister breathed in sock, her expression telling her that it was not a good shock either.

"Oh my Daphne, you've really let yourself go..." Medea said, clicking her tongue and shaking her head slowly in disappointment. It's not that Daphne was surprised by their reaction; everyone who had seen her had remarked that she was looking thinner, paler, and much more sallow of late.  
_  
I guess that happens when you're living off alcohol. _She thought as she gave them a sour smile.

"It only means I'll fit into dresses easier." Daphne remarked smartly as she walked passed her sister (who despite her best efforts, Daphne had to admit, was looking much prettier than before, having grown up a little), absently running her fingers along the fabrics of all the rich clothing.

"Don't touch those with your dirty hands!" Medea hissed under her breath. "Come over here and get fitted."  
There was a man who looked like a stretched out house elf, with big ears, big eyes, and a large nose, who was waiting beside the small circular platform that Daphne was expected the stand on. Sighing in distain, she climbed up and held her arms out lazily away from her sides.

"So what style of wedding party dress were we looking for today?" the man asked absently as he flicked his wand, which set off a measuring tape that moved like a snake in a frenzy around her, snapping and tightening around various parts of her body and making small dinging noises.

"Well, it's up to Astoria; it's her big day after all." Medea smiled proudly. Daphne rolled her eyes and almost felt herself gag had it not been for the measuring tap that almost strangled her at that exact moment.

"Well, I want something modern!" Astoria exclaimed excitedly, stepping infront of her mother as soon as the power was handed over to her. "I don't like these old fashioned ideals of having skirts to the ankle and puffy sleeves!" she said flippantly as the tailor jotted down her order. "I want thin straps, made of pure silk, floor length but form-fitting."

"Astoria, remember that the Malfoy's are a very traditional family," Medea started gently. Daphne cringed a little at the mention of that last name, and the thought that her sister would soon share it. "And I don't think that they-"

"Oh shush mother!" Astoria said lightly, waving away her concerns absently. "Draco will convince his parents to like anything I tell him to."  
Daphne gritted her teeth together at that thought as well. Of course her sister would have Draco and his parents wrapped right around her finger; it only made sense that someone as good an actress as her would win them over so easily.

"Engaged to the young Master Malfoy, I take it?" the man said as she finished writing down her requests.

"Oh yes she is! It's such an honour to our family that he would pick one of our own to be his wife!" Medea said vainly. Daphne narrowed her eyes at her family, who were of course ignoring her; apparently she had blocked the part where _Daphne_ had Draco _first_ completely out of her mind.

"He's the most charming man I've ever met." The tailor smiled a wide grin, showing off his freakishly white teeth. "You are a lucky girl." He added to Astoria, who giggled on cue out of 'modesty'. "Well, how did we do?" the man asked as he came over and looked at the measuring tape. "Her figure is strange." He remarked with his brows furrowed as he put on his glasses, taking another look at the numbers. "She has an hourglass figure, but it seems like it's been drained away."

"Yes, she appears to have lost a lot of weight since we last saw her." Medea remarked in a flat, disinterested voice. "We always hoped she would shape up her figure a little, but this wasn't what we had in mind." She added, looking her daughter over like she was a specimen. "Best add a size or two to the dress; we'll have to pump her full of food so she doesn't resemble a Thestral on the wedding day."  
_  
Well, at least I'll be getting free food then from now until the wedding. _Daphne thought lightly, although she was not amused by how closely she was being examined.

"Can we fit _my_ dress now?" Astoria asked, her voice sounding more like a command. Medea agreed and motioned sharply for Daphne to climb down off the platform.

"And what do you want for your wedding dress, Miss. Greengrass?"

"It's Mrs. _Malfoy_." She corrected sharply, giving Daphne a sideways glance "_That_ is Miss Greengrass." She said haughtily.

"My apologises, Mrs. Malfoy." The man said with a small smile. "What did you have in mind for your dress?"

Astoria's demands faded away from Daphne's consciousness as she saw her mother approaching her, the look on her face clearly not one of motherly love. "I hope you know that this wedding is a very big deal for our family, and we will not tolerate any of your antics messing it up." She whispered sharply.

"Have no fear mother; I wouldn't _dream_ of messing up Princess Astoria's big day." Daphne replied with her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I mean it Daphne!" she hissed angrily. "I've heard rumors of what you've been doing these past 2 years."

"Oh really? Well, do tell mother; I'm eager to hear what magical stories my sister has been feeding you of late." Daphne replied smartly.

"I understand that you were at one time seeing about 5 men at once." She said, her voice wavering as though she might faint from even speaking such a thing.

"Lies; I was only dating three." She lied with a light tone of voice, smirking a little to herself as she watched her mother's expression turn even more disturbed. That wasn't a well kept secret for anyone who worked in the Ministry; she had dated someone from almost every department, but unlike the rumours, had never slept with any of them.

"I understand that you've also taken to drinking." She replied in a much harsher tone. Daphne didn't reply to this fact; it wasn't something she was particularly proud of either. "These are the antics I'm talking about; if you so much as_ touch_ one glass of wine, I will make sure that you find yourself locked in a room for the rest of the celebration." She threatened quietly so that no one else in the store could hear.

"But without wine, how am I supposed to wish my sister all the best in life and marriage at the dinner?" Daphne replied, her tone like a knife, almost revealing her true intent in being part of this wedding party.

"_You_ will be drinking grape juice." Her mother snapped sharply.

"Mother! Tell me what you think of this colour!" Astoria called to Medea, who instantly turned away from Daphne and swooped in to aid her daughter. From over their shoulders, Daphne could see a sample of minty pink fabric that made her stomach turn.  
_If she tries to make me wear that colour, I will drink myself to death before the wedding even starts!_

As the wedding drew closer and closer, Daphne had once again distanced herself from her family. She told them that she would arrive at sunset on June 30th for the dinner gala hosted by the happy couple, and stay at the Malfoy Manor for the ceremony the next day, July 1st.

However, the day before she was to show up at the Malfoy's home, she paid a visit to an old friend and fellow wedding-party member to whom she thought would be useful in her quest for total destruction...

The doorbell rang a shrill ping as Daphne twisted the brass wind-up, causing a dog to howl and bark from inside the townhouse.  
"...shut up you little shit!" the voice called angrily from the other side of the door. She could hear footsteps approaching, and she cleared her throat in an attempt to compose herself a little more. She felt awkward enough coming here, but this entire situation could end up extremely awkward. "Well well well!" the voice laughed from the other side of the door, evidently spying on her through the peep hole. The wood door that was painted green swung open in one swooping motion, and Blaise smirked deviously from the threshold. "And what can I do for you, Daphne?"

"Can I come in? I want to talk to you about something." She asked politely, a faint smile attempting to keep her spirits up.

"Of course you can. Just let me put this tea cozy in his cage." Blaise remarked with a smile, pulling his wand discretely from his pocket flicking his hand over his shoulder; the barking that had continued since Daphne first rang the doorbell suddenly ceased with a yelp. "Alright, c'mon in; Voldermort won't hurt you."

"You named your dog _Voldermort_!?" Daphne laughed as she stepped into the house and saw the little King Charles spaniel growling from the wire cage in the corner of the foyer, his eyes narrowed like a snakes. "Nevermind, I can see why." She remarked under her breath.

"I thought it was a comical name, considering all that happened was as much of a screw up as he is." Blaise said absently as he opened the door and told her to put her shoes in there. "I'm a bit of a neat freak in my own house." He added with a smile.

"As am I..." Daphne muttered as she took off her flats. "This is quite the place you've got." She remarked as she looked up at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, which was open up to the second floor. Ahead of them was a large, spiral staircase made of mahogany, covered in pure white carpets, and all along the walls of the stairwell were portraits of various men. "Step-fathers, I'm assuming?"

"How on earth did you guess?" Blaise chuckled, looking at the 14 men that lined the walls, all of them talking amongst themselves or staring down at her. "They were my mothers, but now that she's gone, I have the ugly things."

"I'm sorry, by the way, about your mother. I was going to come to the funeral, but I got... tied up with work." Daphne said quietly.

"You don't need to lie, Daphne." Blaise remarked matter-of-factly.

"No, I really meant to go! I just-"

"I'm talking about your excuse." He said, a knowing smile catching her eye "I know _all _about your recent addictions, and I have to say I can't blame you."

"What are you talking about?" Daphne breathed, barely audible.

"You drink like a sailor. You've dated several men all at once." He listed smartly. "Once again, I can't blame you! If my sister got engaged to the love of my life, I would probably do the same thing too."

Daphne stared at him in disbelief, momentarily forgetting that he knew about her and Draco, then looked away from him at the growling dog in the cage. When she finally calmed herself down a few seconds later, preventing another sobbing fit from taking over her body, she sighed and looked Blaise dead in the eye. "That's why I'm here." When she said this, Blaise's expression turned to one of extreme intrigue. "I have a plan to get her back, and I need your help."

After she explained her plan, Blaise sat in enwrapped silence, only interrupting twice to clarify a couple of points as she went on.  
"Do you think you can help me?" Daphne asked in a low, flat voice after she added the last detail.

Blaise stared back at her for a moment, then leaned back in his comfortable black leather chair and started to crack his knuckles absently as he thought about it. They had moved their conversation into his living room at the back of the house, with huge glass windows that looked out over the Thames River as the sun set low in the sky. The house, which had a theme of green, black, and white (Blaise still had a lot of Slytherin pride, evidently) had been one of the first houses she charmed as a personal favour, making it look like a house filled with children to anyone who was peering into the windows. It wasn't an overly complicated charm, but it would at least give the appearance of being an average family home in London, and not the dwelling of a member of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Blaise, like the other Slytherins, appeared to have done very well for himself, and upon his mother's death, he inherited all the gold that her husband's had left her. In the plainest words, as Daphne described it to Tracey, he was rolling in gold, and probably didn't need to work a day in his life.  
"I'll help you on one condition." Blaise said smoothly.  
_  
What a surprise; Blaise always has some sort of price for his services. _Daphne thought bitterly in her head.

"I want to know what I'm going to get out of this bargain." He said with a smirk.

"How about the proof that you _can_, in fact, be a decent human being?" Daphne replied with a sigh.

"That doesn't do anything but boost my morals." He chuckled "And as you know, I could care less about what my morals are."

"Clearly. Not many people demand payment from their friends." She quipped back smartly.

"Yes, but even less people try to ruin their own sister's wedding." Blaise replied with a patronizing tone. Daphne opened her mouth to fire back another insult, but closed it when she realized that there was no defence that could counteract that statement.

"You have a point." She sighed and slumped down deeper into the soft leather couch.

"Not to mention you're asking me to help destroy the same wedding that I'm best man for!" Blaise chuckled. "You certainly planned this out well though, but I'm not sure I want to risk losing one of my oldest friends because you're miffed at who he's marrying... that is, unless I receive proper payment." He paused and smirked a little wider at her "Everyone knows that my loyalty cannot be bought, but my services certainly can."

"You sound like a prostitute when you talk like that." Daphne remarked sourly. "Well, I don't understand what on earth you could want; you have anything and _everything_ you could possibly need, and the means to _buy _whatever else you could want." And then something occurred to her a she thought of how she could convince Blaise to do what she wanted for free. "And you still owe me!" she added triumphantly "Ha! You can't wiggle your way out of that one!" she said, clapping her hands together happily.

"Then pay me something as a favour, so that when I look back at why Draco won't speak to me, I have something to fill the void." Blaise said flatly.

"What the hell could you want that I could give you?!" she scoffed. "I'm practically broke, I'm about to drink myself to death, and I've been shovelling food into my mouth so I can fill out this damn dress I have to wear on Saturday! I have no money, Blaise-"

"I don't want money." He said in a voice that was calm and even, but loud enough that it overpowered her voice.

"Blaise, I need your help! Why can't you just do as I ask?! If you don't want money than what _do_ you want?" she demanded, standing from the couch and crossing her arms as she stared down angrily at him. Blaise stared back at her with a smirk, and took the opportunity (and angle) to look over her whole body from head to toe. At last, Daphne finally figured out what he wanted, and the memories of that night in the Slytherin common room, where he told her that he wanted her 'just once', rang like a siren in her ear. "Oh, you've _got _to be kidding me." She chuckled in disbelief.

"Does it_ look_ like I'm kidding?" he asked in a smooth voice as he too stood from his chair, now standing directly in front of her. "You want me to pay up on a deal, but I want you to give me some sort of motivation to potentially destroy my social ties with Draco. I think it's only fair that we each do the other a fairly significant favour, and then we'll be even for life." He said with a straight face. "No more _owing_ each other or blackmailing to get what we want; we'll be even like we were when we first met."

"It's not that simple." Daphne said suspiciously. "It never_ is_ that simple with you." She stepped away from him and crossed the room, looking out over the Thames River through the one-way charmed glass. "And it seems awfully counter-productive if I sleep with you in order to win back Draco... I'll just be in the same boat as my sister; using my body to get what I want."

"How many times do I have to tell you that you're_ nothing_ like your sister?" Blaise sighed, sitting on the arm of his couch on a few feet behind her. "You and your sister are like night and day when it comes to personality, likes and dislikes-"

"Looks? Ability to find a steady boyfriend?" Daphne added her own points to shut Blaise up.

"I didn't say that."

"You would have come to those points eventually." Daphne grumbled as she turned from the window and faced Blaise. "So if I agree to this, you will swear to help me tomorrow?"

"Obviously. Do you think I want you as my enemy?" Blaise chuckled. "You're likely to charm my house so it looks like it's on fire and have those stupid Muggle fire teams destroy my house with their water cannons!"

"I've never thought of that... I'll keep that in mind for another time." Daphne smirked.

"Well then," Blaise said smoothly, standing from the couch and now standing so close that they were practically touching. "Before we get started then, I want you to practice the first part of your plan on me."

"Seriously?" Daphne chuckled, feeling a little shy behind what he was referring to.

"It will get me started." He said in a sultry tone. Daphne smirked at his comment, then took a step back until she was leaning against the cold glass. She pulled out her wand and hissed the incantation, then watch with mild entertainment as Blaise closed his eyes and smiled like he was fantasying to himself. In a way, he was. After about a minute watching him biting his lip and smiling like the sex-driven male that he was, she stopped the incantation and waited; he opened his eyes slowly, the looking as dark and driven as ever. "And where did you practice that little trick?"

"On Tracey." Daphne smirked.

"And she's still straight? I'm surprised." He chuckled, once again eyeing Daphne obviously.

"Not everyone is as turned on by me as you are." She replied in her own sultry tone. "Did it work?"

"Oh, it worked alright." He chuckled, then moved forward, closing the gap between them, and almost pushed her through the glass as he instigated their bargain.

Somewhere off in the distance in Daphne's dream she could hear someone calling her name. As she turned, she could see a figure, standing in fog, with two smaller figures near him, one clearly a child, and one a woman. The fog briefly cleared, and Daphne's mind caught a glimpse of the blue, laughing eyes of Astoria, her arm around not only Draco, but the child.  
Daphne startled herself awake, sitting straight up and breathing irregularly in a panic.  
"Oh,_ now_ you get up." Blaise laughed from across the room, looking through his dresser for something.

"What are you talking about?" Daphne sighed, taking in deep breaths to calm herself.

Blaise chuckled and turned away from whatever he was looking for. "I've been calling you for about half an hour, but you were out like a light." He told her, then smirked and turned back to his dresser "I guess I wore you right out." He added quietly.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that _you're_ the one who couldn't keep up with _me_, Blaise." Daphne remarked, rolling her eyes and climbing out of the bed. She wasn't even sure how they got here in the first place, but she hoped that her clothes were in the room.

"I don't know many guys that could deal with 4 rounds in one night, let alone with you." Blaise said lightly, still smirking as he opened the last drawer in his dresser. "Oh, _there_ it is!" he exclaimed as he talked to himself.

"What are you doing over there?" she sighed "And where are my clothes!?" she asked, holding one of the cashmere blankets around her as a temporary solution.

"I don't know. Try the hallway." He chuckled as he pulled out a white tie from the drawer.

Shaking her head slowly at her clearly absent mind last night, she shuffled past him and into the hallway where she indeed found a trail of clothes that led down the stairs and back into the living room where this whole fiasco started. As she picked up her shirt, the last piece of clothing that was on the leather couch of Blaise's living room, she caught a glimpse of the bright, shining sun of a June afternoon.  
"Shit." She muttered under her breath. "Blaise! What time is it?!" she called up the stairs as she started to dress herself in the living room.

"12:30." He called back. "That's why I was trying to wake you up."

"Damn it!" she swore. "I have to go home and get ready!" she called, pulling on her pants and starting to re-button her shirt as she ran into the foyer, where Voldermort the dog growled at her feet rushing past his cage.

"Leaving so soon?" Blaise mused in a sing-song voice from the floor above, looking down at her from the landing of the staircase.

"I have to prepare my plan." She smirked up at him as she pulled her shoes out of the cupboard. "You're sure that I don't need to learn the-"

"If you're as good at dancing as I remember you, then you won't have a problem keeping up." He reassured her.

"I'm trusting you here, Blaise. Don't let me down!" she said sternly.

"You have my word, Daph. Your plan is going to go off without a hitch with my help." He smirked. Daphne looked up at him like she wasn't sure if she could trust him, but she nodded her head slowly and turned towards the door. "Uh, Daphne!" he called lightly. She turned back and looked at him with a 'what-the-hell-do-you-want-now' expression. "You might you want to fix your shirt." He chuckled.

Daphne looked down at her shirt, still half buttoned and hanging half open. "Right." She muttered quietly. "See you tonight." She called half-heartedly, then finished doing up her shirt, and walked out the door.

The rain had started to come down at about 6 o'clock that evening, clouding the sky with dark storm clouds. The reception was being held indoors anyways, but it made all the guest arrive earlier... except Daphne.  
With a black cloak worn around her to keep warm, she stood at the edge of the forest, watching the party through the French windows of the ballroom like a hunter watches its prey. It took her a few minutes to locate Draco, but when she did, a small, satisfied smile crept across her lips.

"And now, we begin..." she mumbled to herself, pulling her wand out of her pocket and pointing it towards her target 200 metres away. "Legilimens!" she hissed quietly.

Instantly, she focused on projecting every memory she had of her and Draco, starting from their first kiss, to their rendezvous in the very forest she stood before, and even a few little scenes that she threw in just for fun. With her eyes intently focused on Draco, she watched him turned his head, searching for the source. He excused himself politely, and Daphne was finding it harder and harder to hold the connection. She watched with strained, narrowed eyes as she concentrated on keeping the connection a little longer, continuing to project the same scenes that she had put into the mind of Blaise 24 hours before. She could tell by the expression on his face and the thoughts he was thinking that he knew it was her, but he couldn't find her. He opened the door to the rear balcony, and then, like he had a radar set out for her, he briefly caught sight of her, their eyes locking for only a second. In that second, Daphne smiled a wicked smile, then vanished from his sight.

At that exact moment, she opened the front door of the Malfoy Manor, exiting the pouring rain and shaking the water off her hood. From down the hall, she could see her sister and the rest of the guests, all staring at the commotion.  
"Sorry I'm late." She called down the them, smiling as she strode calmly down the hallways.

"I'm glad to see you understand the definition of sunset, Daphne." Astoria remarked, un-amused from her seat at the head table.

"Yes, well, the rain detained me." Daphne remarked sweetly. Draco had now just returned from the balcony and gave her a knowing look, to which she simply smiled. "What did I miss?"

"You're just in time for our dance." Blaise said smoothly, crossing the now vacant dance floor wearing his ivory white suit, holding out his hand for her soaked cloak. "I'll take that." He smirked and gave her a knowing wink. She smiled at the gesture and undid the clasp around her neck. In one swift motion, like she was shedding a layer of skin, she dropped the cloak from her shoulders and revealed the next part of her plan...

The theme for the gala was black and white attire, an instruction that Daphne intentionally ignored. When she took off the cloak, a round of gasps and whispers filtered through the room as everyone caught a glimpse of her gorgeous, cherry red dress. With a halter neckline, form fitting cut down to just above her knees, where the dress had a mermaid flair, Daphne was well aware that she not only looked smoking hot, but she was now the biggest target for her family to charge at.  
Astoria glared at her sister, grinding her teeth together in fury as she caught her sister's smirk of defiance.

"You look lovely." Blaise said loud enough for others to hear. "But you didn't tell me your dress was going to draw _that_ much attention." He muttered under his breath as he picked up the cloak and tossed it to one of the servants in the house.

"What? Did I miss something?" Daphne said to her sister, looking around and feigning confusion. Then, after a quick dramatic pause, she put one hand on her chest and opened her mouth in a shocked 'o'. "Oh my God, I forgot the theme was black and white!" she played. Then with a small smirk, she turned away from the head table and held her right arm to Blaise. "I think we're supposed to dance, aren't we?"

"Right you are, Daphne." Blaise said, catching Draco's eye for a moment and smiling at him. "It is, of course, tradition." He turned towards the band that was sitting in the corner of the room and nodded his head at them. They started to prepare themselves, and Blaise turned his attention back to Daphne. "Remember what I told you?" he said under his breath

"Keep loose, go with the flow, and look seductive." She smirked.

"You do realize that you've officially made yourself the number one most hated person in this room right now." Blaise chuckled, taking a quick look around at the 200 people that sat along the long tables that created a perimeter of tables around the dance floor.

"Does it look like I care?" she asked lightly.

There was a long chord that played from the band, and on cue, Daphne and Blaise turned to face the future bride and groom, lowering into deep bows. Then, as she had been instructed the night before, Daphne stood with her weight shifted onto her left leg and her right hand stuck straight out. Within seconds of the music starting, Blaise took her hand in his and kissed it very lightly, catching her eye as he did it and winking at her. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was being twirled and spun across the floor by him, all the while trying to remain as loose as possible.  
_  
Thank God he didn't try to teach me this dance! _Daphne thought as he finished twirling her and dropped her into a dip so low that she almost hit the floor. _It would have taken me hours, if not days, to look as good as him while doing this! _Lucky for her, Blaise was a natural at leading in dance, which came in handy when orchestrating a plan like this. And needless to say, although the price for his cooperation was high, he was certainly impressive.  
This dance, he told her the night before, was from Spain, where he had been stationed for over a year after graduation. It was meant to represent (if not mimic) the 'art of love'. But what Daphne and the entire audience learned very quickly was that it wasn't a subtle metaphor either. Between the low dips, the constant eye-lock that they held, and subtle grabs at her butt as he pulled her leg up so it was level with his waist, Daphne felt that this entire dance was a replay of the night before... And despite how badly she wanted to get her sister and Draco back, she couldn't bring herself to look at them as she danced. Somehow, she knew that making eye-contact with Draco again would reveal everything...

Finally, about 2 minutes later, after more sexual moves that most dignified dancers would refuse to dance in public, the music began to slow. Blaise caught her eye and nodded slowly at her as he turned her once more, then dropped her down into one last low dip, making the blood rush to her head. Through the pressure on her skull as Blaise held her there for a few seconds while he waited for applause (which did come, but very awkwardly at first), Daphne made the mistake of catching Draco's stare, which set her mind into a momentary frenzy. In front of her mind's eye, she could see Draco and her dancing the same dance... but not as reserved. She stared back at Draco, who as soon as he broke eye contact with him, the image disappeared.  
"Well," Blaise said to her through the applause, pulling her up from the dip so fast that she almost fell over "I think that went rather well." He chuckled.

"You failed to mention to me that the dance-"

"It got the job done, didn't it?" Blaise smirked. Daphne sighed and shook her head slowly. "What? Did I fail to impress your sister's friends and family?" he added in a low tone.

"No, I think you did... and I need a drink." She said flatly, still trying to get the image of her and Draco out of her mind. She knew that he had put it there; she had almost forgotten that he was a Legilimen as well. But she never expected him to torture or lead her on in such a way when he was sitting right beside his fiancé and her sister!

"Let's go find you a glass of water then." Blaise said with a smile as he nodded gracious at the people who were watching, then with one hand gently guiding her off the dance floor, led her towards the bar.

By the time 9 o'clock hit, Daphne had already finished off a whole bottle of red wine to herself. Blaise had deliberately ignored the warnings from the person serving drinks that 'the mother of the bride would be very angry if she saw the maid of honour drinking', and gave her glass after glass. Daphne of course didn't mind, and in fact took it upon herself to make sure that everyone saw her drinking.

"I'm not going to hide who I am just so Princess Astoria can keep up some fanciful reputation that she's an angel!" she told Blaise as she stumbled into him (literally) at the edge of the room. The dance floor was now filled with couples, dancing to the music that the band was playing. But Daphne and Blaise stood on the outskirts, watching and waiting for the right moment...

"I'm telling you, this music is so old! It's the type of thing our grandparents danced to!" Blaise muttered as he lifted his glass of wine to his lips and sipped at it.

"So as soon as a modern song come on, do you want to go out there and show them how it's really done?" Daphne giggled. "Remember, I can't dance!"

"That's my plan. And you dance good enough... At least you can keep a beat." Blaise remarked absently as he stared across the dance floor at the head table. "Draco is trying to read my mind."

"Trying?" Daphne remarked with a quick laugh.

"I was trained Occlumency at work; keeps the locations of all the equipment secret so it can't be jinxed." He smirked, still keeping locked eye contact with Draco. "He probably wants to know what we're planning next."

"I'm surprised my sister hasn't pulled out a hatchet yet and tried to hack my head off." Daphne giggled as she swayed a little where she stood. "If we don't dance soon, I'm going to fall asleep!" she said a little louder.

At that exact moment, there was a brief pause in music, and the tempo and mood changed from decrepit and old to young and bouncy. "About time!" Blaise exclaimed with a laugh, the reached over and grabbed Daphne's hand and pulled her behind him as he took over the now emptying floor. Only a few of the couples remained from before (since a dance with fast could potentially break a hip for some of these people), and many of the other younger couples joined them as well.

"Whew, I think drinking before dancing was a bad idea!" Daphne laughed as she almost tripped on the hem of her dress, grabbing Blaise's arm for support.

"You only live once, Daphne." Blaise smiled "And like you said, you may very well be killed tonight."

Daphne laughed and glanced over her shoulder at her parents and sister, who were talking in the corner amongst themselves. "Well it's that's the case!" she laughed as she reached over to the table beside them and grabbed another glass of red wine and downed it. "I'd best make the most of these last few drinks."

The dance was more like the music they played at the Yule Ball almost 6 years ago, and therefore most of the younger guest of the party knew the moves. Thankfully, Blaise took the lead again, making sure that the intoxicated Daphne didn't make a face plant onto the floor. But despite how drunk she was, she was actually enjoying herself, and seemed quite coherent.

"I like this dance!" she laughed as she spun in a circle, nearly falling over as she did. Blaise caught her (and the now empty wine glass) at the last second, preventing her from hitting the floor.

"Clearly. Just try not to kill anyone." Blaise chuckled as he let her turn again.

The world around her seemed to spin by in slow motion, with every sound and image blurring together. She felt her eyelids getting heavier and her balance getting more and more out of wack. Just as she felt like she was about to pass out, someone stopped her from falling backwards. "C'mon Blaise, let me dance!" she laughed, her heavy-lidded eyes taking only a moment to focus.

"It's not me." Blaise said flatly, standing in front of her and looking with dark eyes at whoever was holding her.

"Blaise, you need to take her upstairs." Draco told him in a flat, emotionless tone.

"Shouldn't you be dancing with your fiancé?" Daphne muttered, but both men overheard her.

"Why should I?" Blaise asked, almost annoyed at Draco's interruption.

"Because her parents are furious and the last thing I want is for my house to be the centre of some murder investigation." Draco hissed at him. Daphne couldn't be sure, but from the direction of the voice and the way he was holding her, he must have been standing right behind her, holding her steady with his hands on her shoulders.

"Don't worry; they won't kill me until after the wedding." Daphne laughed. From her now unfocused eyes, she could see dancers still dancing around them, twirling past in swirls of black and white.

"That doesn't tell me why_ I_ should have to deal with her. And since when do you care what happens to her?" Blaise asked, a small smirk on his face as he crossed his arms in defiance.

Draco sighed angrily and tightened his grip on Daphne's shoulders. "Blaise, I don't know what your involvement with this scheme tonight, but if you do this now, then I'll forget it ever happened." He offered in a sharp tone. Blaise stared at him for a few moments, as if he were trying to see the real reasoning behind his demands. Then, with a sigh, he motioned for Draco to give Daphne to him.

"C'mon Daph, I think you've had enough fun for the night." He said in an unenthusiastic voice.

"Giving up so easily, are you?" she asked Blaise before she stumbled forward and fell into his arms. "I'm just a little dizzy, and I'm not finished-"

"Didn't you hear what Draco said? I think he got the message." He said in a patronizing tone. Then Blaise helped Daphne stand up straight and turned her towards the door. "Ok, walk forward."

"I would just like to point out that notice_ I_ did not receive a similar offer from him." She slurred to Blaise as he started to walk her towards the doorway, holding her up all the way.

"I don't think Draco is the one you should be concerned with..." Blaise mumbled. As he said that, Daphne lifted her head and focused on the three figures standing beside the door. As they got closer, she recognized them as her parents and her sister, all giving identical glares of hatred and contempt. At the sight, she sniffed a quick laugh and shook off Blaise's grip. Then, standing still, she took in a few deep breaths, then walked forward perfectly composed and almost appearing sober. She walked past them as if they weren't there, but once she was through the door, she tripped on her dress (again), and Blaise caught her from falling. At this point, Daphne burst out in hysterical laughter.

"Wouldn't want them to think I _deliberately_ disobeyed them, would I?" she laughed, grabbing onto Blaise's arm as he helped her up the stairs to the guest rooms.

Daphne wasn't surprised to see that the Malfoy's had given her the same room as before, but this time it wasn't across the hall from Draco.  
"Figures..." she muttered to herself as she stumbled into the room, kicking off her silver shoes and pulling off her diamond bracelets.

"You want me to stay with you for a while?" Blaise asked as he closed the door and locked it. "I don't want your parents coming up to slaughter you."

"Why do you care?" she grumbled as she leaned on one of the post's of the four-poster bed. She paused for a moment, then chuckled a little to herself. "Why _should_ you care?" she shook her head slowly as she stared straight ahead, looking out the window into the dark, clouded sky. "Why would anyone care about ugly, stupid, useless," she paused as she took a few steps closer to the window "Disobedient, plain, pathetic, old Daphne?" she now was so close that she leaned her face against the cold glass. "I'm forever destined to be the other Greengrass girl... forever following in my sister's footsteps."

"Daphne, how many times do I have to tell you that you're nothing like your sister? I would know; I dated you both!" Blaise sighed, taking a seat on the edge of her bed and watching her.

"Yes, but you also told me I was a bad person for trying to destroy my own sister's wedding." She pointed out, not turning to face him; she just stared out the window, her intoxicated eyes going in and out of focus.

"That may be true." He said in a smooth voice "But how many girls would steal their sister's boyfriends out of spite?" he asked. Daphne spun around and face him so fast that she nearly fell over. "How many guys would leave a girl who threw herself at him for 4 years for her sister?" he added, standing from the bed and walking towards her. "And how many guys would accept sex as a payment to embarrass one of his oldest friends?"

"I think it's more a question of how many guys _wouldn't_ accept that... Or better yet, what kind of girl agreed to such a bargain." Daphne muttered, now staring at the floor as he got closer to her.

"I can tell you exactly." He said matter-of-factly. She looked up in confusion, but found that she could barely focus on Blaise as he reached out and helped her stand again. "Slytherins." He said simply. "It's just how we are. I started to notice it after my mother died, and I found her old journals of plans and methods of killing every one of her ex-husbands, including my father. As a Slytherin, we're determined to get what we want; to be victorious no matter the sacrifice or disgrace it brings us." He paused and turned her face gently to face him. "You're no different than me, or Draco, or even your sister; we're all just far too ambitious for our own good."

"My, you're in an uplifting mood tonight, aren't you?" Daphne muttered as she shook off his support again, walked towards the bed, and collapsed head first onto it. "All I want to do is just make tomorrow go away. I just pray that my parents come in the night and smother me so I don't have to endure it tomorrow!"

"Get some sleep, Daphne." Blaise chuckled. "And you might want to take that dress off too."

"If you're trying to see me naked again, you'll have to be a little more creative than that." She sighed as she rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. Blaise laughed and patted her head before he started to leave the room.

"I'll check on you later." He told her. And then, she heard the click of the door closing tightly behind him.  
_  
Hopefully I'll be dead when he comes back. _She thought bitterly. She continued to stare up at the ceiling, vaguely aware of the tears building up behind her eyes. But before she could focus on stopping herself from crying again, she felt herself pass out.

She slept like the dead for most of the night, except for once disturbance at about 3 in the morning. In her dream, she heard a door open and close, and it took her a few moments to realize that this was real, and she started herself awake, falling off the bed as she did it.

"Blaise?!" she hissed in the darkness. No one answered. "Seriously Blaise, this isn't funny! Come out of the dark!" she demanded quietly. There was still no response. After a minute of silence, she gave up, convinced that she really had dreamt it, and she climbed back up into her bed, still wearing the red dress, but this time pulling the sheets over her. Just as she started to drift off to sleep again, she swore that she heard something moving in the room, but she no longer felt the urge or motivation to care.  
_  
If it's my sister coming to kill me, then good. Same with my parents. If it's Blaise coming back for round 2, then fine; I wouldn't notice now anyways. _She thought bitterly as she pulled the covers tighter around her. _The only thing I know for sure is that it's not is Draco... the only person I _want _to come, and the only person that won't... _

And once again, she felt her eyes water, and then slowly close.

**_AN: YAY! Now I get to switch back into first-person! If only for a little while...  
I'll update as soon as I can, but the next chapter is kind of big... so it might take a while._**

REVIEW BECAUSE IT'S MY 20TH BIRTHDAY ON SUNDAY!!! MAKE ME FORGET THAT I'M OLD!!!


	28. Letting Loose and Cutting Ties

**_AN: WOW! I've been terrible at updates of late! I've been so busy with work and school that I've barely found time to think, let alone write!_**

But! I finally get to return to first person for a while!  
I hope you enjoy this chapter!!

****

I couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief at myself; is _that_ how I got here?! Is that the grand adventure know as my life that landed me here, hiding in the Malfoy's library wearing a disgustingly coloured dress that looked so big on me that it might have originally been sized for Hagrid? _That's it_?!

"And here I thought my life was more dramatic than that..." I muttered, shaking my head as I stared at the now fading flames. From the way every talked about me, it made my life seem like some unending circus of tempers, screams, and crying. I honestly think that people get me mixed up with my sister.

I suppose the worst part about being able to remember all of this is that looking back now, and seeing where this was going, I could have prevented it so easily! I could have put my foot down and just told Pansy off, or told Draco to make up his mind for good! I could have drowned my sister as a child... I could have cursed her that night when I had the chance, and it could have been blamed on a stray spell. I could have killed my parents too that night... not that that would make much of a difference; they probably would come back from the dead and haunt me. So would my sister, come to think of it.  
_  
I'll never be able to escape them... I think that might be the worst part! _I thought, sighing to myself. Even if I made it out of this wedding alive (which was unlikely after they way I acted last night...), they would be hounding on me every waking hour, no doubt saying things like 'Draco is such a wonderful husband; when will you find someone as good as him?'

I may poison myself if they said that to me. But it is a possibility.

This morning was no exception to the unending torture of being near my family again. They had come in and told me to get up and make myself look 'descent', like it was impossible to even do that.  
_Not in this bedsheet for a dress... _I sniffed as I looked down at its pale pink fabric that was sized too big for me. When my family told me to gain back all the weight that I had lost, they apparently must have thought that I was at one time the size of Neville. Of course, after they saw me put on the dress this morning and saw how oddly it fit, it was _my_ fault for not filling out properly.

The worst part of the morning was that I was massively hung over and still wearing the same red dress from the night before. And, amazingly enough, I had slept alone. After all, with both Blaise and Draco in the house, I half-expected my sleep to be disturbed at some point in the evening...  
_Wait a moment, it was! _I remembered suddenly, furrowing my eyebrows a little. I remember hearing the door open and close... but there was no one there... or no one who was willing to show themselves to me. Or perhaps I was hallucinating; wouldn't put it past myself at this point.

"Probably just Blaise being his usual sneaky self... I was so drunk I wouldn't have noticed anything if he had." I muttered as I absently fiddled with the bracelet I was wearing. On top of the Greengrass pendent that I was told to wear, I was also give a slightly-tarnished bangle that had my full name engraved on it; Daphne Regine Greengrass. The last part of the title stared back at me like a blinding, mocking light; Greengrass. How I cursed the name today...

There was a sound from outside the door, and I turned to look over my shoulder. The brass doorknob turned slowly, and opened just wide enough for a person to slide in. My chest was tight, but I ignored it and put on my best face of disgust.  
_Of course he came to find me..._ I thought bitterly, turning away as soon as I saw that cursed blonde head of his enter the room. _Probably came to kick me off his property, or to beg for forgiveness...  
_"Feeling alright Daphne?" he asked politely, like I was one of his co-workers, or someone from Slytherin that he never knew but felt he had an obligation to speak to. I started to laugh, staring at the fire again as I attempted to stop myself from crying again. I told myself over and over, chanting in my head, that I would not give him the satisfaction that he could _still_, after all this time, make me cry.

"Perfect. Fantastic. I am _fine_." I replied sarcastically, still not looking at him. There was silence in the room, and I could feel him looking at me, but I wasn't sure how. At first, I felt comfort in the lack of communication between us; it made me think that perhaps he felt some sort of emotion that could resemble remorse for what he'd done. But then I couldn't take the silence anymore, knowing that we were both just waiting for the other to speak, so I closed my eyes, gave in as usual, and took a deep breath. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you." He said in an almost matter-of-fact voice. I rolled my eyes and made a sarcastic face of gratitude, but still did not turn towards him; I was still afraid that if I faced him, I would break down. "Are you going to come down to join us again?"

"Did my parents send you here?" I growled huskily. I had briefly considered his offer for a moment, but then thought that it might be a trap, and I decided against going willingly.

"No, they don't know I'm up here." He said quietly, almost as if he knew my temper was going to flare up.

That answer surprised me. Was he telling me that he ran away from his own wedding and his blushing bride to find me? That was certainly what it _sounded_ like he was alluding to. Taking in a deep breath and then letting it out in a long sigh, I finally turned around in my seat to face him, face stone cold but eyes most likely giving myself away. He looked so fantastically beautiful today that I could feel my heart pounding with the familiar swoon of emotion. _Resist! _I told myself.

"That doesn't sound very smart, does it?" I replied flatly.

"Maybe not, but it's what I want to do." He replied lightly as he stepped forward and took a seat on the nearby loveseat. "You didn't answer my question though."

"I don't think I need to." I sniffed a quick laugh. He looked at me for clarification, and I rolled my eyes in annoyance."_No_."

"Not even if I ask it as a personal favour?" he asked me in that same voice he used to win me over with at Hogwarts.  
_  
Don't give in to the bastard.... don't do it! _My mind hissed at me angrily. Most of my sanity told me to ignore it, to fight it off with all my might... But there was still that part of me that wanted him so bad that I wasn't sure I could control it.

"I think..." I started, biting on my lip as I tried to fight the insane part of my brain that wanted to just leap onto his lap. I closed my eyes in an effort to calm my sense, and I took another deep breath before I finally figured out a response. "I think that gives me even more reason to not go."

I opened my eyes slowly and saw that he was staring right at me, his face looking like it had been carved by angels, but looking back as stiffly and reserved as ever. Then, like he thought I was joking, he shook his head a chuckled quietly.

"C'mon Daph, you can't still be sulking about this." He said in that damn condescending tone.

"_Don't_ call me _Daph_!" I growled, my teeth locked like a bear trap, holding my emotions in. "And _yes_, for your information, I can!"

"Oh for God sakes Daphne." He sighed as he slouched back onto the couch in frustration. "Are you really going to drag this out for as long as you can?"  
I looked at him like he had just told me I looked like Potter; insulted and shocked. "What are you saying, Draco?" I hissed angrily at him.

"I can't believe you're still going on about all of this." He chuckled again and shook his head slowly. "How long do you intend to keep this going?"

"Keep _what _going?" I sneered at his insinuation; I wanted him to say it out loud.

"This whole... being angry at your sister thing!" he explained, his eyes showing how annoyed he was that he did have to explain. I noted that he, of course, in an attempt to deflect all blame, did not say 'angry with me'.

"As long as I want!" I snapped back, now standing from the chair in and storming towards the door. I stopped only a few feet away and realized that if I left this room, my family would descend on my with the fires of hell, and I would have given Draco the satisfaction that I once again did what he wanted. So, I turned on my heel and huffed angrily over to the window, which I looked out of as I ground my teeth so hard that my jaw was cracking. _I ought to slap him... I should beat him senseless for what he did... And he thinks that he can just make it her fault! I may hate her, but I'm not blind! _I mentally raved, barely aware that he was watching me like a curious specimen.

"I never thought you could be so dramatic." He sighed.

I felt something snap at that moment, and I'm not sure what happened, but the next thing I knew, I was standing only inches away from him, a look on my face that could rival an angry werewolf. "I AM NOT BEING DRAMATIC!" I screamed. As I expected, he stood perfectly still, eyes locked with mine, showing no fear or emotion towards me. Maybe it was because his death eater training had been so extensive, or maybe it was because he really wasn't afraid of me. "You want to know why I'm so _furious_ with _YOU_?" I shouted at him, making sure he understood that it was not just my sister I wanted to kill right now. "You _all _wonder why I act the way I do now?" I growled. "Well, I'll spell it out for you then! You _and_ my family think that if you _pretend_ that there was nothing between us that I'll just _forget _that it ever happened. Well I'm sorry to tell you, but _I won't forget_!" I shouted the last bit, then turned back to the window. I hadn't intended on telling him all of that, but I just couldn't stop myself... as usual. "I'll never forget." I whispered to myself. I could feel those damn tears, which might as well have been acid pooling in my eyes, eating away at my control. _No no no! Don't start crying you damn fool! _My mind swore at myself.

Once again, there was silence between us. I waited with whatever patience I had left for him to speak first, determined to let him put himself on the line for once. That and I wanted to see how he was going to react to that little tidbit.  
"I don't expect you to forget it, Daphne." He said carefully; apparently he had caught on that he might be walking on thin ice. "But I thought you had enough sense to understand that you can't help who you fall in love with-"

"HAH!" I laughed sharply. I turned to look over my shoulder and saw a very confused Draco staring back at me "You wouldn't know what _love_ is if it was a Hippogriff gnawing at your ankles."

"And you're telling me you do?" he asked, the tone of his voice challenging my reasoning. I was going to snap back immediately, telling him yes I did know what love was because I had been in love with him for years! But I restrained myself, said nothing, and only narrowed my eyes before I turned back to stare out the window. "How can you judge me if you don't know yourself what it is?" His voice was a little more cocky this time, like he was convinced he would win the fight. However, I would be damned if I let him walk away unscathed.

"Oh, shut _up_!" I hissed, rolling my eyes to the ceiling as I tried to prevent myself from spilling tears. "Are you telling me that you're really _that_ self-righteous?"

"I didn't say _anything_ that made me sound self-righteous!" Draco shot back indignantly "Daphne, are you drunk? You're not making any sense!"

"Surprisingly, no! I'm not drunk at all!" I sneered at him. "You would think so since it's you who _drove_ me to drink in the first place!"  
Draco looked at me curiously for a moment, like he thought he hadn't heard me correctly. "I did what?" he asked sourly.

Interestingly enough, I heard a small voice in my head say 'tell him'. Even though I knew that he was now married to my little sister, and that he was 'in love' with her, and that he obviously would never fall for me again, I should still tell him everything.  
_  
Here goes nothing..._ I thought solemnly, like I was about to step off a cliff into the English Channel in winter.

"Do you think that the reason I walked out of the ceremony was because I despise Astoria?" I asked quietly, looking at my feet as I spoke now, my hands clenched so tight I thought I might draw blood. "Did you think that I almost drank myself to death for a year just because I felt so outshined and shown up by my younger sister?" I added, my tone a little more sharp. For the next point, I lifted my head and looked him dead in the eye. "Did you think I did all of those 'favours' for you at Hogwarts because I was such a good 'friend'? Or because my father worked for yours? Or because I hated Pansy?" I paused for a moment, letting the dramatic pause give him a chill. Then, like really diving into icy water, I felt my lungs take in air, then exhale through my vocal chords, which created sounds that to an English-speaking human would be understood as the ultimate in symbolic meaning. "I love you." I said as I exhaled, my lungs now failing to breathe in again as my mind shut down in shock. At first, I couldn't believe I had said it, but then I remembered that I wanted to tell him this... I'd wanted to tell him for a very long time... I just felt like it was such a waste now... a waste of valuable air that I could have used to curse him.

There was a painful silence between us, as I had expected. Despite the ridged courage I had mustered for mere seconds, I now felt that I couldn't look him in the eyes. I just stared at my feet again, trying to focus on how scuffed the white heels were after I had run up here. But even as I stared at the pure white leather on my feet, my vision became blurry, and I thought I saw a single drop of water fall right in the centre of my right shoe. I tried to focus my other senses now; all I could hear was the laughter of some crazy woman outside on the lawn, followed by the chorus of several others. I knew they weren't laughing at me, but it felt like their voices were adding to the mocking in my brain.  
_  
I wish he would say something. Anything. I almost wish he would laugh! Even _that _breaking the silence would be fine! _I thought frantically, my mind beginning to panic. I now regretted my rash actions, and was silently cursing myself, my nails digging to hard into my hand and my jaw completely locked that I knew I couldn't move. I was completely frozen.

"I'm not sure what to tell you Daphne." He said after another painstakingly long minute of nothing. I stared at my shoes for a moment, then after wiping my eyes, I looked up with a very weak smile.

"Just please tell me that I wasn't delusional in believing that at one time you felt something for me too." I said so quietly that I barely heard myself say it.

"You weren't delusional, Daphne." He said calmly, like he was almost relieved at his own answer. "I've never lied about my feelings for anyone." He reassured. I could almost feel the tears of happiness ready to burst worth from my eyes. Of course, then he had to drop a bomb on my brief happiness. "That's why when I met your sister, I was just so taken by her." He said, his eyes hazed over by the look of young love... a look I must have lived in for about 6 years straight. "I've just never felt so strongly for anyone in my life! I really think that I love her, Daphne."

"If you knew her, you wouldn't be saying that." I growled through my locked jaw. Now he looked at me in a much more defensive manor. "If you had dealt with her for as long as I have... if you only knew what she's really like, Draco."

"I think I know what my wife is like." He replied gruffly, his expression clearly showing that he was completely taken by the spell known as Astoria's acting.

"You've been married for 2 hours Draco." I reminded him "And you've only known her for 2 years. I've known her since the day she was born." I paused and sighed as I gathered my thoughts... which were more or less lies. "And I'm afraid that once you see who she really is, which you will someday, you're going to regret marrying her."

"How can you talk about your sister like this, Daphne? If I had siblings, I would protect them and vouch for them!"

"If you were raised in my family, you would understand why I am the way I am." I said in a dark tone that came from the back of my throat like I was possessed. I was in a way possessed; my anger and rage towards my sister had been boiling over for months, and to hear someone with no siblings at all tell me how I should be was only adding to the fire.

"You can't blame your family for everything, Daphne." Draco said in that patronizing voice that he always used against me in situations like this.

"Oh yeah? And what makes you the expert on my family?" I challenged, taking a step forward, my eyes so dark that I'm sure I reminded him of the Dark Lord for a split second. "You've experienced them on their best behaviour; do you want to know what they're really like? What the Greengrass family truly is behind closed doors?" His silence told me yes, so I continued. "My father would do anything to please your father, as you well know. So what do you think would please him more than marrying his youngest, prettiest daughter to his benefactor's son?" I pulled from my brain. It's true that I had seen my family change since Astoria started to date Draco, and I was sure that their motives had changed as well. No doubt there had to be some truth behind the accusations I was making... but I frankly didn't care. So long as they sounded convincing to Draco, then I would swear to anything I said upon pain of death. "And my mother? She's so obsessed with position that she would _kill _to have her daughter married to a powerful family. And guess who's family falls on that list of suitors?" I told him as well. Once again, this was a true fact... but whether these were the true motives or not, I had no idea. "And my sister is an entirely different piece of work on her own. She is the most selfish person I have ever met." I growled more viciously than before. "She will scheme and manipulate anyone and everyone to get what she wants, and she doesn't care about the consequences." I now took the chance to read Draco's expression. As I expected from being a Death Eater, he had a stone cold expression of reserve... but behind his eyes, I could see the cogs turning in his brain. He was processing what I had said... and I hope it was going to sink in.

"And where does that leave you, Daphne _Greengrass_?" he asked me suddenly. I hadn't been prepared at all for that question. I was taken aback for a few moments as I tried to think of an answer that would defend my actions, but he didn't wait long. "You're just as scheming as you say Astoria is. I know what you did last night." He said smartly. I looked him in the eyes curiously, and right as I focused harder, I felt a brief wave of images fly past my mind's eye.  
_  
Shit... I forgot he could do that. _I thought suddenly.

"I know perfectly well that it was you who was projecting all of those memories into my head." He said in a lower voice. "And I also can't forget what you and Blaise planned out together." He added to his defence.

"Blaise and I didn't plan anything!" I lied.

"Blaise works in the same department as me; do you think that I have no methods of spying on him?" he said with a small smirk. I looked at him with a blank stare in an attempt to appear innocent. "I know you were at his house two nights ago. I can only imagine what went on there." He added with a little more dig.

"Everything I have done can be justified!" I snapped. "What would you have done in my place? What part of 'I love you' didn't you understand?! People have killed hundreds of people just for one person!" I raved. I knew that my pathetic attempt to deflect the truth wasn't much, but I was truly angry at his insinuation. "I am NOTHING like my sister!" I shouted in frustration. Draco stared back at me in silence, his face still unshaken and calm, like he knew he was going to get away with this. "And when you figure it out," I said, taking another step forward so I was standing only inches away from him. "You're going to come running back, begging for me to take you back again, and I'll tell you I told you so." I hissed quietly, glaring right into his steel grey eyes. He still didn't move, determined as ever to hold his ground. We just stared at each other for about a minute, neither one of us willing to give in. And for a very brief moment, I thought I caught the look of longing in his eyes that I had seen so many times before. For a brief, almost fantasy moment, I thought he might kiss me, but I knew it wasn't going to happen.

The noise at the other side of the door caused us to break our eye contact. And as I expected, from beyond the other side came my clearly infuriated sister, the booming wrath of my father, and my screaming banshee of a mother.  
"WHAT is SHE doing here!?" Astoria shrieked at Draco.

"He came to find me." I smirked at her, taking pleasure at the sight of her face contorting into more anger.

"I wanted to make sure she was alright." Draco said calmly. Despite his faults, I had to admit he was a good actor.

"Who cares! She just ruined our wedding! AGAIN!" Astoria screamed at me. She was still wearing her wedding dress, which was so tight that I thought she might pop out the top if she stomped her feet too hard. "Father! DO SOMETHING!" she screamed in rage.

"Yes father, give little princess exactly what she wants." I said calmly. For some reason, I had this strange courage that made my mouth go off without thinking. Even as I let those words slip out, I knew the reprocussions would be nasty.

"Daphne, this is the last straw for me!" my father boomed at me like the thunders of heaven. "You've embarrassed not only your sister, but our entire family AND the Malfoy's! I demand to know what your problem is THIS INSTANT!"

"Do you think I give a shit what people like you think?" I replied in the same smartly calm tone. My father looked at my mother, who looked more like an agitated bird than ever.

"EXCUSE ME?" my mother's high pitched screech made me cringe for a moment.

"Good Lord woman, can you bring it down a few notches please? I think they heard you all the way in Berlin." I remarked with a sharp, bitter laugh. "And what I said was '_I don't give a fuck what you think_'!" I reiterated for them.

All three of my family members and Draco stared back at me in shock. Mission accomplished as far as I was concerned. Behind my back, I pulled my wand out of from the inside of my dress, just in case.

"I swear to God, I'm going to kill you if you open that smart mouth of yours again!" my father threatened.

"If you don't, then I will! I have no attachment to her whatsoever!" my sister sneered at me like I was Granger.

"None of you do!" I laughed manically for a moment. "Admit it! None of you care for me in the slightest!" My eyes fell on Draco now "Well, not all of you." I said with an evil smirk on my face.

"Daphne, I don't think-" Draco started, clearly catching on to what I was about to do.

"Oh shove it, Draco." I brushed his warning off. "Astoria darling, want to know a secret?" I said in a sing-song voice. She narrowed her eyes at me, and it only fuelled my rampage. "Once again, little sister, you're picking up my leftovers. You're reading my old news a day later." I smirked as I stared her dead in the eyes.

"What are you talking about?!" My mother demanded.

"Daphne, don't-" Draco started again, but I cut him off again.

"You see Astoria, just like Blaise, I had him first, and then you've swooped in after to claim him as your own in an attempt to prove something to me." I told her, the grin on my face so wide that I could have been telling her that she was the greatest sister in the world... had it not been for the sadistic emotion behind my eyes and voice. "Oh, but the difference is I've slept with him numerous times." I added lightly, like it was a casual detail. As I planned, her mouth dropped open in complete horror and she looked at Draco for some sort of explination. "What do you guess the number would be, Draco?" I asked, pouring salt into their wounds. "It was over about 3 years, so that's a fair amount, isn't it?"

"You little slut!" My father growled at me. I laughed once again and turned my attention to him.

"You call me a slut; I call me ambitious." I smirked. "Afterall, isn't that one way you would justify your daughters behaviour? If it was going towards furthering the families reputation." I looked at my sister "But to undo the damage _she_ did, I'd have to sleep with the Minister of Magic himself!"

"Your sister is-" My mother started, her face turning to red I thought that she might be sunburnt.

"A huge liar? A whore?" I interrupted with a sing-song voice. When they looked back at me with shock, I laughed and said "What, like you didn't know!?" I said in a voice of feigning shock. "Well, she has been taking Silphium powder for the past 3 years at least, so that should tell you something."

"Astoria!" my mother hissed under her breath. My sister looked at her mother with an expression of helplessness and confusion, but then turned her missile eyes towards me.

"Aren't you going to tell them I'm lying?" I laughed. She said nothing, and just continued to glare at me with and expression that could only be described as pure evil. "Well, I certainly hope that you didn't tell Draco you're a virgin!" I laughed heartily for a moment, glancing over at him for a split second to tell him "Because I don't think she's been one of those for _years_!"

"THAT'S IT!" my father snapped at last. The volume of the voice made me jump for a moment, but I tried my hardest to remain calm. "I WANT YOU OUT OF MY SIGHT, AND I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" he shouted so loud that I swore the chandelier above our heads shook. "How DARE you talk about your own family like that! And to act to disgracefully! You're as good as a mudblood to me now!"

"Good." I replied flatly. My family looked back at me like I might be insane. "What? It's not like you've ever _acted_ like a family towards me! I was just waiting for you to tell me to leave so that I wouldn't have to worry about you hounding me down every day to make sure I'm being a 'good girl'." I told them smartly. "If anything, I expect this is quite the relief for you."

"It certainly will be now!" My mother spat at me. Her tone was a little sharp to me, but I ignored the pain.

"Glad to hear I could be of some use to you then, mother dearest." I replied flatly. "Oh, by the way; if you hear about that Greengrass girl who's slept with half the ministry, chances are it's me." I added with a smile. "No doubt you'll want everyone to know what the Greengrass name is _really_ about, right?"

"You are no Greengrass!" my father said in such a low, angry voice that I felt the vibration rattle my bones.

"What, did mother cheat on you?" I replied smartly.

"No, she has morals and standards, unlike you!" he snapped back. "You are not a Greengrass because I say you're not! If anyone asks me if I have another daughter, I'll tell them no! As far as I'm sure, you never existed! All you've ever been is trouble to our family!"

I stared at my father for a few moments, letting the message sink in. So despite how hard I tried all these years, it was all for nothing. He had apparently made up his mind long ago, and it would never matter how hard I worked to prove him wrong; I truly was nothing to him.

"Oh, well then I suggest you revise your parenting manual." I replied lightly, revealing my wand and moving towards the door. My parents, apparently knowing that I was capable of some magic, backed away from me in fear of their lives. But my sister, who was apparently insane with rage, stepped directly infront of me, standing in between me and the door.

"You think I'm going to let you just walk out of here after you've humiliated me at my own wedding!?" she snarled at me. I stared at her for a moment, taking in for what I hoped would be the last time the few similarities between us. Then, with a sign of annoyance, I rolled my eyes.

"Yes." I said flatly, then like lightning, I shoved my sister back so hard that she fell into the door, putting a dent in it with her elbow. My parents of course screamed in terror as they watched their precious angel being hit. Astoria, being the typical drama queen, slid onto the floor, cradling her one arm in the other and working up some tears for the show. I was about to possibly step forward and kick her in the face, giving her some real tears, but I felt someone's wand against my throat just as I moved.

I didn't have to turn to see who it was, but I did so anyways, slowly letting him see that I no longer cared what happened to me. With his wand still pointed into my neck and me staring right back at him, I gently reached my hands up to my own neck and unhooked the silver chain that held the Greengrass pendant, letting it drop to the floor. Then, I pulled off the silver bangle with my name on it and tossed it across the room.

"My offer still stands." I told him calmly. "When you're as sick of this family as I am, come find me." My parents barked something at me, most likely demanding clarification, but I didn't hear them. All I heard was the loud pop of my apparating out of the room.

I appeared in my room in the Malfoy manor a split second later. I snapped my fingers in that same instant, and the house elf Minnie appeared. "Pack my things." I demanded, my control slipping now that I was out of the room. The house elf clapped her hands together and everything I had brought with me flew into a single bag. "Thank you." I told her, thus dismissing her. Then I apparated down to the drawing room, which I knew had been closed off due to all the gifts being stored in there. Without even looking at the fancy treasures that had been lavished over my sister and Draco, I walked right over to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of ashes, and shouted out my destination.  
"Davis' Place!"

**_AN: Ohhhh Daphne, how you make my life seem so UNdramatic! hahah  
So.... REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!_**

**_ALSO!!!!!!!!  
I need some story idea of what to write next... which probably won't start until like July, but it takes me a while to think of the plot.  
I am offering you, the readers, to give me some input on what you want me to write next! Ships! Pairings! Another POV story! (please no samesex... I have NOTHING against samesex couples... I just have no experience writing it.... that will be the next challenge :P)  
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK I SHOULD WRITE NEXT!  
... this should be interesting...  
REVIEW C'EST VOUS PLEZ!_**


	29. Revelations

**_AN: Hello again!_**

So this chapter didn't take as long as I thought it would to write :) I've been looking forward to writing this chapter for so long... I think you'll see why.

Enjoy!

I landed with a crash as I fell out of the fireplace. At the same time, I heard the sound of shattering china on the slate floor just a few feet in front of me.

"Holy shit!" Tracey cried as she tripped backwards over a chair leg and fell onto the floor as well. There was silence for a moment as she got herself together and realized who had just burst into her living room. "Daphne, Jesus!" she breathed a sigh of relief. She paused again and made an odd face as she looked at me. "What _are _you wearing?"

"My sister's horrid choice in bridesmaid dress." I grumbled back as I pushed myself up from the floor. "Or I guess I should say ex-sister..." I added with a low sigh. I now noticed the broken teacup on the floor; no doubt I had scared Tracey so much that she dropped it. "Sorry about that..." I muttered as I flicked my wand and mended the teacup back together.

"Wait, what!? _Ex_-sister?! What happened!?" Tracey asked, eyes wide in curiosity and excitement, jumping up from the floor, taking my hand in hers, and leading me over to the couch, where we sat together in silence for a minute. I was trying to think of how I could describe what just happened. I would have to tell her about last night's engagement party... which means I would have to tell her about Blaise...

"Let's just say that I've officially destroyed my chance for reconciliation with my family." I muttered as I twisted the material of the dress in my lap. "As far as they're concerned, I never existed."

Tracey stared back at me in complete amazement. Whether she was amazed at how brave I was... or how stupid I was, I couldn't tell.  
"All at the wedding? What did you _do_?" she pressed, her expression so anxious that I could tell she could barely contain herself.

"Can we just not talk about it for 5 minutes!?" I snapped in frustration, then put my hands in my face. "I need to think."

"Sure thing, Daphne." Tracey said in a kind tone. I smiled a little, although my expression was still hidden from the world behind my hands; thank God there was someone who listened to me, and understood me.

There was a noise from the kitchen that would have normally made me jump had I not been numb with the realization that I now had no family. Yes, to begin with, I never had much of a family, but now I really did have no family.  
_  
I'm as bad as Potter now. _I thought spitefully. But despite the fact that yes, I no longer had a family, I did not regret my actions. In fact, it was the fact that I didn't do it sooner that made me angry. Why had I waited so long to rid myself of them? I could have survived on my own in an orphanage surely...or at least when I turned 17. _Because I was a stupid, pathetic child obsessed with love, and convinced that I could only be with Draco if I endured my family.  
_What a fool. Who would have thought that my family would be the reason I would lose him in the end...

"I forgot something in the kitchen." Tracey said lightly, patting me on the back and telling me she'd be right back. I sat silent, focusing on the low whispers I could hear in the distance. I couldn't make out everything they were saying, but I could hear my name repeated a few times.  
_  
I wish I could bring myself to care who's here... _I thought as I sighed and leaned back against the over-stuffed couch and closed my eyes. _God, I just want to sleep and never wake up. _I breathed in and out slowly as I tried to make myself fall into an eternal sleep. It wasn't working.

"Daphne, I brought you a drink." Tracey said quietly as she entered the room. As someone who had spent the past year living off the stuff, the scent of Firewhisky filled my nostrils and brought me right out of my trance. "Probably not the best thing for you to have right now, but I think you deserve one..." she said with a crooked smile as she handed me the small shot glass. I took it and instantly threw it into the back of my throat, barely feeling the burn as the alcohol slid down into my stomach.

"Who's in the kitchen?" I asked curiously as I put the glass on the coffee table in front of me. Tracey smiled and looked towards the door that led to the kitchen.

"Do you feel like receiving company?" she asked me. I looked at her for a moment, trying to figure out what she meant.

"Uh... I guess so? I don't look that horrible, do I?"

"Well, that dress does look disgusting on you, but no, you look alright." Tracey teased. "So can I ask my guest to join us?"

"Who is it?" I asked again. As I expected, she just smirked and walked over to the door. She told the person to come in, and I could hear footsteps on the hardwood floor behind me. I didn't bother to turn around and look since I was convinced I probably looked like crap. I heard the footsteps stop behind the couch, and I could feel whoever it was staring at me. _Well,  
I am a bit of a freak show in this dress... _I reminded myself, trying to deflect the agitation of being stared at. The footsteps continued around the side of the couch, but I didn't make a move to turn my head to see who it was; I waited until they stepped into my sight line.

From the corner of my eye, I saw someone dressed in all black with their pale hands at their side. I could see a gold pocket watch tucked in the front pocket, and what looked like a gold seal ring on his right hand. _Who is this, Tracey's new boyfriend?_ I thought, finally letting curiosity get the better of me. I tilted my head slightly to the left to get a better view of the stranger, only to see that it was no stranger at all.  
_  
He's grown so much! He doesn't look as thin or scraggly anymore! _My eyes grew wide at the sight. There, standing before me, looking like a grown man that had everything in life he could ever want, was my saviour himself.

"_Theodore_?!" I breathed in disbelief. As soon as I said his name, he cracked a small crooked smile. All at once, it was like nothing had ever happened! The last 2 horrid years of my life had never occurred, and we were just reuniting after being apart for a summer.

"Hello Daphne." He smiled with such warmth that I thought I might cry. Before I even knew what was happening, I was up off the couch, throwing my arms around him in a tight embrace that I apparently sorely missed. He was now somehow taller than me, having apparently grown half a foot since I last saw him at the Battle of Hogwarts. I now came up to just bellow his chin as I huge him around his chest. As he squeezed me back, I could feel muscles that I never knew Theodore had flex around me. _Some people change for the better, I guess. _I remarked smartly in my head.

"Theodore, you look amazing! When did you grow so much?" I laughed lightly as I pulled away and took another look at him. "Did you become a Quidditch player?" I teased.

"Not exactly." He chuckled.

"He's the youngest wizard to join then Wizengamot." Tracey smirked from where she stood, watching us with a curious smirk. "Ever."

"You got it? Theodore, that's fantastic!" I beamed brightly at the thoughts of Theodore actually achieving what everyone thought was an impossible goal. After all, it normally took years of experience in other departments before you could even be considered qualified. He had told me in his first letter he sent after Hogwarts that he was in the process of taking the tests. I never knew Theodore was one for justice, but he certainly had the brains and wit to be a member... but to be the youngest _ever_?! "I always knew you'd get it." I told him with a smile.

"I understand I'm not the only one who's been advanced in the work force." Theodore teased playfully. "Working for the ministry since you were 18? Quite the feat, isn't it?"

"I'm not the only one, Theodore; you know that." I made a face at him, then smiled as I hugged him again. "I missed you so much, Theo!"

"I missed you too Daphne." He said softly into my hair.

From beside me, I could hear Tracey giggling about something. I turned my head and looked at her with furrowed eyebrows of confusion. "I was just thinking that that dress really does look awful on you." She said with a smirk. I knew from the look on her face that that was not the reason she was laughing, but I didn't feel like pursuing the subject. The ugly dress had served as a reminder of how I ended up here in the first place, and my heart sank.

"Why are you even wearing that ugly thing anyways?" Theodore chucked. I didn't answer; I just stared at the floor for a moment. There was an awkward silence between the three of us.

"It was Astoria's wedding today..." Tracey said flatly. She didn't tell him who it was to... although I'm sure he already knew.  
Yet another awkward silence. I wasn't sure why; none of them knew the whole story... but they probably knew enough of the story to figure it out...

"Oh right... I forgot about that." Theodore muttered. "Well! I understand that you and Tracey have some, uh, catching up to do." He said, clearly attempting to excuse himself from whatever he perceived as an uncomfortable situation.

"No, you don't have to leave Theo..." I said quietly, now barely focused.

"I was on my way home anyways." He reassured me. Then, he looked at Tracey for a second, then back to me. "Hey, why don't you come over to my house after? You still haven't seen the place, and I don't think it's safe for you to go home."

"Oh Theodore, I don't know... we'll probably be here for hours." I mumbled.

"I'll wait up." He reassured, checking his pocket watch for the time. "I won't be going for bed for hours anyways."

"It's true; he's practically nocturnal." Tracey added, a subtle smile on her face.

"Well, I'm certainly not going to take up space in your house by spending the whole night just keeping you up... I'll just stay here if I have to."

"My house is huge; it will be no problem."Theodore reassured me.

"Plus I have work early in the morning." Tracey added, evidently making the past part of my proposition impossible.

Defeated, I sighed in agreement. It wasn't that I didn't want to go and see Theodore's new life, but I wasn't sure what kind of condition I would be in when I was finished divulging all my secrets to Tracey. "Alright, I'll stop by after I'm done talking to Tracey."

"Excellent." He smiled at me. I missed his honey brown eyes that were warmer and more welcoming than anyone else's I'd ever met. "Just say 'Nott London', and Tracey's marvellous fireplace will take you right there."

"I think we all know how Floo Powder works, Theo." Tracey teased.

"I would hope you know how it works; you work for them!" Theodore teased back. All I could do was shake my head slowly from side to side; it really was like we hadn't been apart. "I'll see you later." Theodore said quietly as he passed me, then said goodnight to Tracey before he went back into the kitchen, where I assumed he disappeared.

"Alright, spill." Tracey sighed, jumping onto her overstuffed couch. I looked at her for a minute, my eyes turning cold as I was reminded yet again of everything that I had not told her.

"Well, I have to confess something to you Tracey..." I sighed as I took a seat beside her.

"You're pregnant!?" she assumed automatically.

"NO!" I said sharply, laughing awkwardly. If I was, it would be Blaise's, which was a thought I did not want to even consider. "No, I haven't been a hundred percent honest with you..."

I spent the next 2 hours recounting all the experiences I had had at Hogwarts with Draco that I had kept secret from her. No detail was spared. By the time I finished telling her what had just happened at the wedding, I don't think I'd ever seen Tracey so legitimately shocked it my life. She sat there for a moment, processing all that I had told her.

"Can you believe that I actually don't know what to say?" she chuckled as she stared at me in amazement. "I always knew you and Draco had something... I just never knew it was that much! And to have your slutty sister steal him out from under your nose! I always hated her!"

"You don't need to pity me, Tracey." I said flatly.

"No, I really did always hate her." She reassured me. "And I must say that I take slight offense that you didn't tell me all this at the time!"

"Tracey, I told you! I couldn't risk Pansy catching wind that you knew something!" I sighed in agitation "I mean, I could have offered you up as a sacrifice, if you really wanted. It's what you would have become."

"Pansy never scared me." Tracey scoffed. "You, on the other hand, were scared shitless of her."

"Well, _of course_ I was! She had the potential to ruin my life and my love!" I explained sharply.

"She couldn't ruin anyone's life but her own, Daphne."

"How was I to know that!?" I exclaimed, now scoffing at her.

Tracey just shrugged. "Well, what are you going to do now? You have no family, you've lost Draco; except for me and Theodore, you're kind of on your own."

"You're awfully cheery, aren't you?" I replied smartly. Then I sighed and thought about it for a moment. "Well, I suppose it would be smart for me to move out of my apartment now."

"Yes, I suppose them knowing where you live might not be a good idea." Tracey said lightly. "What else? Should you change your name or something?"

"No, I won't change my name... not yet at least." I remarked with acid in my voice. "I want to bring that sorry excuse for a family down a few levels first."

Tracey smiled and clapped her hands together with glee. "Oh, I always love it when you're in a diabolical planning mood!"

I smiled weakly, then stood from the couch, looking down at stupid dress I was _still_ wearing. The only other option I had was the red gown that was in my bag, which although it fit me much better, was not a very appropriate idea for me to wear to Theodore's...

"Do you have any clothes I can borrow?" I asked as I held up the material of the gown to make my point. Tracey giggled and shook her head slowly.

"A midget like me? Nothing's going to fit you properly." She pointed out. "Maybe Theodore will have something."

"Theodore?" I laughed, making me smile for the first time in hours. "Yeah, maybe he will... along with a time tuner so I can take myself back to Hogwarts, kill myself in time, then relive my life over again... fix all the stupid mistakes..."

"You've really given it some thought, haven't you?" Tracey laughed.

"More than any sane person should." I flashed her a wide smile.

Another hour past, and finally Tracey stretched her hands high above her head and yawned.  
"Well, I don't need to be rude or anything, but I need some sleep.... so you need to get out."

I couldn't help but laugh at her failed attempt to be subtle. "Yeah, alright. I might as well get a move on to Theodore's I suppose."

"Oooo yes! You'll have to tell me everything that happens tomorrow." She said with that knowing smile. I stared at her, confused by her expression as usual. Then, I chuckled to myself and shook my head slowly; I had by now, after all these years of friendship, accepted that Tracey knew more about me than I did, and no doubt she knew something now.

"Yeah, I guess I'll send you an owl or something tomorrow morning." I sighed as I stood from the couch and picked up my bag again. "You know, I'm not exactly sure why I'm even going to Theo's; can you just tell me something to say to him? I want to keep my mind off the events of today, if that's alright with you."

"Hmm..." she pondered to herself. "Just... catch up with each other." She said with a smirk.

"Ok, seriously!? Why do you keep doing that?" I asked, chuckling in confusion.

"Oh, look at the time! I'd best be off to bed!" Tracey said dramatically as she guided me towards the fire place. "I'll talk to you tomorrow!" she added brightly.

"Sometimes I really question your loyalties, Tracey." I muttered as I climbed into the grate and took a handful of Floo powder.

"Have fun." She said with a wide smile and mischievous eyes.

I didn't answer her. I was actually a little afraid to say something, because she was likely to randomly throw out some little time-bomb of a detail that would float around in my mind until it finally exploded hours later. Instead, I sighed and cleared my throat.  
"Nott London!"

The next thing I knew after I flew past the hundreds of green grates between Tracey's home in Scotland all the way to London, I was standing in a dark room with only the dark reflection of city lights off the black tile floor.  
_Where the hell am I? _I thought as I stepped out of the grate. Sure enough, I tripped on a footstool, and fell forward onto something else that felt like a coffee table. "Oh, mother fu-"

"Sorry Daphne!" I heard Theodore call as he rushed down a black hallway and then magically turned the lights on around me. Now I could see that I was indeed lying on top of a coffee table like something that was being served for dinner, it what was clearly a library. The shelves were black, the chairs and couches were black, the floor was black; _everything _was black, except for the spines of the books.

"Creative colour scheme." I teased him as he helped me off the table. Much to my pleasure, I had put a large hole in the front of the dress in the process of falling.

"Don't mock; I've heard what your house looks like." He teased back.

"Hey, white is a bright colour that people can see in the dark with!"

Theodore chuckled at my defence and held his hands out, presenting the room. "Well, welcome to my place." He smiled. "Want the grand tour?"

"Of course!" I giggled and his showmanship.

He led me down a dark hallway (black, of course) that had 3 doors off it. As we passed them, he told me what they were; empty room that would someday be the guest room, the guest bathroom, and the master bedroom. He didn't show me the inside of his room, but I expected it was because it was probably a mess.

"And here we have..." he paused as he let me pass him, no doubt excited to see my reaction. "The great room."

I had no idea when I saw the lights from the library that his 'house' was actually a penthouse suit in a posh new apartment building that I had heard the muggles raving about. The great room surely lived up to its name, as it had no exterior walls; just gigantic, floor to ceiling, single pane windows that exposed the whole room to a panoramic view of the city at night. I was literally breathless.

"Oh my God, Theodore!" I breathed at last, stepping forward into the room (also featuring all black flooring, furniture, and features), taking in the openness that made me feel like I was on top of the world. "How on earth can you _afford_ a place like this, Theo? Even muggle lawyers can't pay for this!"

"Well, let's just say that when you '_convince_' the landlord that you paid in cash upfront..." he trailed off with a smirk, and I knew what he meant.

"Still up to your old tricks, are you?" I smiled as I looked around and his gorgeous home. "I don't understand how you could ever leave a place like this to go to work."

"It's not that wonderful when you're by yourself." He mumbled quietly as he passed me and went into the kitchen area of the open room. "Drink?"

"Water, please." I heard myself say, and I was a little surprised that I didn't ask for booze. I stepped down the 5 steps into the sunken living room, which was closest to the windowed walls. There was a balcony that was out off the right side, overlooking the Thames River. I put my hand against the cool glass, still amazed at the sheer beauty of it.  
_  
If I lived in a house like this, I would never want to leave... _I thought in vain, knowing that I would never have the skill (or guts) to jinx someone for that long term as to own an apartment like this.

"Here you go." Theodore said beside me, making me jump a little. I smiled and thanked him for the drink, then turned back to the view.

"Honestly Theodore, this is so beautiful."

"So does that mean you want to stay the night?" he asked with a curious tone.

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves..." I smiled at him. "But you know what I could use? Something else to wear."

Theodore looked at what I was wearing a chuckled. "Yeah, I think we need to get you out of that thing."

"So you have something I can wear?" I asked almost excitedly.

"Why yes, I have a lovely selection of skirts and tank tops actually." He replied sarcastically, sniffing a quick laugh.

"Theodore, did you just make a joke!?" I thought I might be going insane; did he really just say something that was humorous!? He only shrugged and motioned for me to follow. He led my back up to the first door on the right, which was the master bedroom. He opened the door slowly, then walked right over to the dresser and began pulling drawers open.

"I don't have anything that resembles girls clothes..." he muttered to himself as he shifted clothes around.

"Well, do you have any shorts?" I asked as I leaned against the doorframe. "Old boxers or something that I can wear as pants?"

"Uh... I have one pair that my grandmother bought me for my 17th birthday..." he chuckled a little to himself before he pulled out a pair of black, silk boxers that had clearly never been worn and tossed them to me. "I hate boxers."

"Ok..." I said slowly to myself as I held them up and looked at them. "Well, they'll fit... How about a shirt?"

"Holyhead Harpies work for you?" he smirked as he pulled out a dark green t-shirt. "This I've had since I was 12."

"Why do you have a Harpies shirt in the first place?" I giggled as I caught the shirt when he threw it over.

"Hey, just be grateful I'm not going to make you wear one of my work robes to bed." He teased.

"True..." I giggled a little as I thought about the giant flowing robe as a nightgown... not convenient at all.

I excused myself to the guest bathroom to change into my new 'clothes', and was not in the least bit surprised to find even more black. I was beginning to think that either Theodore was very depressed, or he was a clean freak (since black is impossible to hide the dirt on). I finally pulled the ugly pink dress off me; I examined the hole that I had put in it, and then with all my strength, I pulled at the sides of the wound, causing it to tear even larger. It was therapeutic for me, and I continued to rip it apart, with more and more force each time, until all I was holding were scraps on material and lace.  
_  
If only I could tear her apart like this..._ I thought, still wishing that I could just kill her with my bare hands. _And then I'd get my mother... then my father... and leave Draco for last...only because I'm not sure if it would constitute as murder or rescue.  
_  
"Daphne, do you want something to eat?"Theodore asked from the other side of the door, knocking once to get my attention. I now realized that I had been in here for 10 minutes destroying the dress, and I was only standing in my underwear.

"Uh... I'll be right out!" I called as I pulled on the shorts, which fit comfortably.

"You didn't answer my question." He chuckled from the other side.

"Oh, uh, can I just have some bread and butter?" I asked, thinking of the first thing that would be easy to make.

"Sure thing." He said, and then I heard him walking away.  
_  
I don't know what I'll do with the dress...or what used to be considered a dress... _I pondered to myself. Shrugging a little, I picked up the scraps and threw them into the bathtub, then flung the shower curtain closed around them. _There! Out of sight, out of mind... just like me._

Deciding that it was better to not linger on these thoughts for too long, and that I should re-join my host. I picked up the Holyhead's shirt off the counter and pulled it over my head... only to discover it fit me like a second skin.  
"Holy crap Theodore!" I called to him from the bathroom.

"What!? Are you alright?" I heard him call from the kitchen in his usual protective tone.

"Well..." I said in an unsure tone as I opened the door slowly, my arms covering what I could of my chest. "Clearly you're idea of what should fit a 12 year old is not the same as what fits a 20 year old..." I didn't even have to explain; he just took a once-over look, then burst out laughing. The fact that Theodore was laughing was strange enough, but laughing at _me_!?

"Can you breath in that?" he asked, nodding his head towards the kitchen.

"Barely." I laughed as I followed him back into the breath taking kitchen, still holding my arms over my chest awkwardly. Theodore was chuckling to himself as he picked up a plate with bread on it, and tried to hand it to me.

"You might have to put your hands down to grab it, Daphne." He remarked smartly. "I also got you some more water."

"Well, aren't you the gracious host." I smiled, looking at the two things that he held out for me to carry. I was about to tell him to carry them for me, but then realized he had his own food and drink to carry.  
_  
It's only Theodore... like he cares if you can see everything through this skin tight material. _I reminded myself. I sighed and put my arms down from shielding me and took the plate and glass out of his hand. To my surprise, I saw Theodore give me another once-over, and I felt my face blush. "Seriously Theo?" I laughed awkwardly.

"What? They're hard to miss, Daphne." He chuckled as he turned and grabbed his own food. "I could have told you that when you were 14."

I stared at Theodore with an amused, but shocked face. "Did you just make reference to my chest?!" I laughed. "My God, you have changed, Theodore." I smiled as I sat down on one of the black couches and crossed my legs, balancing my plate of bread on one knee.

"For the better I hope." He mumbled as he sat down at the other side. I stared at him for a second, trying to understand what he meant by that.

"There was nothing wrong with you in the first place..." I assured. "But the fact that you're not as serious, or at least not with me, is an interesting change?"

"What, you mean you weren't annoyed with the serious kid who never made a joke?" he said before taking a bite of his bread. I waited for him to stop chewing so he could clarify whatever meaning was behind that. "Well, now that I don't have to be so on edge, what with my father's case going through again, it's not so bad."

"His case going through? When?" I asked before taking a bite of my bread.

"I'm going to bring it back in the fall." He explained. "You see, with my position, I feel that I can have a great amount of influence over my father's trial verdict. Hopefully, I'll get him out of Azkaban by Christmas." He said with a small smile.

"I'm sure he'll be very proud to have you fighting for him."

"Well, I can't really fix up my family name with him in Azkaban, now can I?" he smirked.

We spent the next hour or so catching up on everything we'd missed over the past 2 years. He told me all about how when he got home from Hogwarts after the battle, he packed up his things and moved into London. He didn't buy this place for a few months, since it was still under construction, and he had to wait for the suspicion to die down around him before he could imperius someone again. Then after he finished telling me about all the trials and tribulations he went through to get his position, I told him about being accepted as a charmer, and how I got my apartment (which I was paying rent for!) and just the random facts of life that I had endured helping my sister and her wedding. I still didn't mention who she was married to; I was sure that if he already knew, he would have brought it up already.

At some point, I felt my eyes getting heavy. I let out an involuntary yawn, and Theodore smirked. "Time for you to get some sleep?"

"Yeah, I guess so... I had a long night yesterday..." I sighed as I slouched down deeper into the couch "Can you bring me a blanket and a pillow?" I asked sleepily.

"Why? You're not sleeping in here." He said with a small chuckle.

"Where am I sleeping then?" I asked suspiciously. "You don't have many options..."

"You can sleep in my bed; I'll sleep out here." He shrugged as he picked up the dishes and brought them into the kitchen.

"Theodore, no! I'm not throwing you out of your bed!" I protested, jumping up from the couch and following him to the kitchen. "Don't you have work tomorrow or something!? I'm not going to make you sleep out here, Theo."

"I insist." He said matter-of-factly as he flicked his wand and made the dishes wash themselves.

"Well, then I'll just go home!" I said stubbornly.

"You and I both know that's not a smart idea." He said in a sing-song voice. True, we had discussed how likely it was for my family to be waiting for me, but I didn't want to make Theodore uncomfortable in his own house! He slipped past me and walked in to his room, flicking off a light as he passed. I followed him and leaned against the doorway again, finally getting a better look at the room. The carpet was white, as were the walls, but all the furniture was black. The only colour in the room was the bedding, which was dark red. On either side of the bed was a giant ceiling-to-floor window like the living room, giving a view of the entire city at night. Theodore grabbed what I assumed were his pyjamas from under his pillow and made a point to turn down the covers on the opposite side. "It's all yours." He nodded at me.

I sighed in frustration and blocked the doorway so he couldn't get out. He chuckled a little at my effort, and I knew this wasn't going to be much of a fight for him. Wherever he got those muscles from, they were much more than I had!  
"What if..." I started, looking past him at the bed. "Well, the bed is huge. What size is it?"

"Queen." He said, giving me a curious look, like he was trying to read my mind. As far as I knew, Theodore was not skilled at that.

"Well, there is more than enough room for both of us..." I mumbled quietly, attempting (and failing) to not seem awkward. "Surely we're adult enough to be able to share a bed_ that_ size and not have a problem."

Theodore looked at me, then back at the bed that clearly had enough room for the both of us, and back at me again. "Well, it would solve both our problems."

"Just so long as you keep to your side, and I keep to mine." I said in an even, negotiating tone.

"Alright, it's a deal." He sighed, stepping out of my way and letting me approach the bed first.

I was in no way worried about sleeping in the same bed as someone. I mean, aside from the men I had slept with (in the non-literal sense), I _had _shared a bed with people before and not had to worry about something strange happening...  
But this was _Theodore_! Someone who I had known for years! I shouldn't feel awkward about it... except that he got a lot hotter since I last saw him, and I _still _couldn't believe how much he had changed!  
_  
This isn't strange at all! I mean, there's no reason for us to feel weird about this... it's just Theodore. _I told myself as I pulled back the covers and climbed into my side of the bed. As I expected, the bed was like sleeping on a cloud. Although not as comfortable as the one's at the Malfoy manor, it was still extravagant and heavenly to someone who had spent 7 years of their life sleeping on a Hogwarts dormitory bed. _The floor was an improvement compared to those rocks.  
_  
"Comfy?" Theodore asked as he climbed into his side slowly. There was more than enough room between them, so I was barely disturbed when he moved.

"Yes, thank you." I yawned sleepily. "Good night Theodore." I said as my eyes closed slowly.

I awoke with a start sometime later, sitting straight up in bed, panting in fright. The room was still pitch black, and only light from the omniscient city outside.  
"Are you alright?" Theodore asked, not sounding sleepy or tired in the slightest.

"Did I wake you?" I asked as I took deep breaths to calm myself.

"No. But you looked like you were having a bad dream." He asked, sitting up as well. "You were talking and shaking."  
_  
That's just embarrassing _I sighed and put my hands over my face. "Yeah, I had a bad dream..." I muttered, now massaging my temples gently to try and regain some sort of control.

"What happened?" he asked quietly. I sighed again at the prospect of divulging such a wide open window to my psyche, which was clearly going to explain how messed up my mind really was.

"Do you remember when you saved me from Dolohov? That crazy night at Hogwarts?" I started quietly.

"How could I forget? It was terrifying." He replied in the same hushed tone.

"Well, this dream was worse..."I whispered. "Instead of Dolohov holding the knife to my throat, it was my father." There was a heavy silence between us as he no doubt stared at me. I still hadn't looked over to face him, afraid that my face would be tear-stained or pale. "And my mother and sister were there, preventing you from helping me. They were yelling at him to kill me." I shook a little at the thought of my sister's face, which had now embedded itself in my brain like a carving in stone. The sheer fury in her eyes was nothing compared to how I had ever seen her before.

"Daphne," Theodore said softly "It was just a dream."

"Was it? Or maybe it's another omen." I whispered quietly as I pulled myself into a tight ball, hugging the sheets around me.

"You're safe here, trust me. No one is going to break into my house to get to you." I assured me, patting my back softly.

"It's not tonight I'm worried about..." I mumbled to myself. I sighed and lay back on the bed again, looking straight up at the ceiling to prevent myself from crying in fear. I really didn't understand when I became such a weak little creature, crying at the drop of a hat, but it was beginning to get annoying. "My life is officially going to be worse than it was when I went to Hogwarts." I groaned in defeat at my fate. No doubt, I figured that my family was going to be stalking and sending me poison in the mail every day in an attempt to be rid of me... or keep me in check. Yes, in theory, I was still a member of their family, and since I had their last name still, anything I did could be connected to them. I liked this idea. That way, I could shame my whole family, and not feel any of the repercussions from it directly.

"That's certainly unfortunate." Theodore chuckled lightly as he leaned back onto the bed again as well.

"Do you ever wish you could go back Theo? Go back and fix things or just _not_ do them in the first place?" I pondered aloud, letting my fantasy of killing my 15 year-old self and reliving my life from there on out _properly_... they way it should have been.

Theodore let out a long, thoughtful breath as he considered what I was saying. "I'm not sure I'd want to re-live my childhood again. It was stressful enough as it was, and yet looking back now, I can see that it really wasn't that bad."

"That's my point though." I interrupted. "Life was so simple back then, and yet we thought every little thing was the end of the world!" I paused as I imagined how happy my life could have been if things had been a little different. "If I knew what I know now..." I trailed off, still imagining the scenario.

"What would you change?" Theodore asked innocently.  
_  
Where to start!? _I sniffed a quick laugh, but didn't say it out loud. "Oh... I don't know. Change how much work I didn't do... Change who I was friends with..."

"Ouch." Theodore chuckled. "I see how it is."

"I didn't mean _you_!" I giggled. "I would never give up being your friend for anything in the world." I smiled at him, turning my head to face him for a moment, and then I looked back up at the ceiling. "There are other people that I wouldn't associate myself with again if I had the choice."

"Oh, well I'm glad to see I'm in the good books then." He teased.

"You and Tracey are practically the _only_ people in the good book!" I chuckled, but shook my head slowly in pity for myself.

"I'm not sure why you were friends with me in the first place, to be honest." Theodore sighed as he stretched his hands up and put them behind his head, staring at the ceiling as well.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, confused by the way he was talking now.

"Well, I was so serious and sulky back then... not to mention I'm the son of a murderer, right? I'm surprised you or Tracey had anything to do with me." He listed off.  
I stared at him in complete disbelief; he really had changed in the past couple years. Perhaps living on his own had taught him that you can't control every aspect of your life at all times. It was something that took a little bit of getting used to for me... maybe it hit him harder than it did me.

"The things you say some times, Theodore..." I sighed in disbelief. "I would never replace you as a friend because I have never know anyone how would defend me and help me unconditionally like you do." I told him. Then I rolled onto my side so I was facing him. "And when I look into those honey brown eyes of yours, I see kindness." I told him with a smile "And that's not something I get to see very often, and I wouldn't give it up for anything."

He smiled at me, then looking back up at his ceiling. "Thank you Daphne." He said contently. I smiled and nodded my head, then rolled back onto my back again. "I should probably tell you why I look at you like that though." He said quietly.

"And that is?" I asked with a small chuckle; he _would _feel the need to justify everything.

"Because I love you." He said simply. It was so simple, in fact, that I almost didn't catch it. There was silence for a second as I processed that, then I sat up with a start and looked at him with wide eyes.

"You what?" I breathed, almost inaudibly. I was sure that I didn't hear that right. He sat up silently as well, looking right into my eyes with those honey-brown beacons of kindness... and now love.

"I love you, Daphne." He said very calmly, but I could tell by his face that he was not calm. This was probably something he had been waiting to say all night. "I think I've loved you since the day I met you." He added with a small smile

"We were 11, Theodore." I breathed, trying to get every detail out of him before I could even begin to figure out a response.

"I know." He chuckled and shook his head, but he was still smiling. "That's probably why I never tried to tell you when we were in school; I knew that the awkwardness of having been so close for so many years could have ruined both our friendship and our relationship." He paused for a moment "Not to mention you were far too interesting in other prospects..."

"Prospects?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowed a little in confusion.

"Other boys? Blaise?" he explained himself.

I sniffed a quick laugh at myself and shook my head. "Yes, and they all turned out marvellous, didn't they?" I muttered to myself.

"Point is, I didn't know how I could tell you without giving the whole show away." He continued, and them smirked a little "I had a couple plans that succeeded. Like that kiss in 6th year."

"That was _planned_?" I asked in surprise.

"Who do you think told the kid to swing his broom as he was walking down the stairs?" he smirked even more mischievously, but his eye's still held that same warmth. My jaw dropped in shock.

"That was _your _fault?" I asked, still in disbelief.

"Well, I didn't want you to get knocked out." He chuckled. "The kid went a little over-board... Guess I didn't pay him enough."

"_Paid_?" I breathed, then started to shake my head in disillusion. "All to kiss me?"

"All to kiss you." He repeated in a low tone.

"Please tell me you didn't tell Dolohov to hide out and try to kill me."

Theodore let out a quick laugh, then shook his head slowly. "No, I would never go as far as to risk your life to try and get your attention."

I sat in silence for a minute, thinking of all the times that Theodore did strange things that I never understood; staring at me, touching my skin so lightly, and of course saving my life at every chance he got. I chuckled a little at something that occurred to me. "Apparenrly I am the blindest person in the world..."

"When you showed up at Tracey's today, so upset about whatever it was, she told me that now was my chance to actually tell you... so that's why I made you come here." He admitted cautiously.

"Tracey knows?" I asked.

"She's known as long as I've known... maybe even longer."

"She has that ability..." I mumbled. There was a pause between us again, and I decided to pose a question. "Why didn't you ever tell me? I just told you that you are one of my closest friends, and I know you knew that back then; why wait until now?"

"The truth?" he asked in a low voice. I nodded my head yes. "I didn't think I was worthy enough for you."

"Worthy?" I whispered like I was asking for clarification. Once again, I felt tears building up in my eyes. _How could anyone think that!? I'm nothing important!_ "Anyone that would look twice is worthy, Theodore."

"No." He said automatically, but not sharply. More like it was a firm point he was trying to stress to me. I looked directly into his eyes again, and they were still so warm that I wanted to just live in them. "That's just is, Daphne. Your family has made-"

"I don't have a family." I replied in a voice that came from the back of my throat, like my possession by anger briefly escaped.

"Alright, the family you once had. They've told you over and over again that you're nothing, which is a lie. But now it means you're the most unselfish person I've ever met! You have no vanity, and no prejudice-"

"And no self-esteem." I sniffed, shaking my head as I listened to his words. I had never had anyone say anything so kind to me. Ever. I wasn't sure if I could believe them. I was starting to feel the tears roll down my cheeks, and I didn't want him to see, so I hid my face in my knees.

"Why are you crying?" he asked sincerely. He didn't appear to be concerned that I could be potentially rejecting him, but he was more worried about me being upset. _That's Theodore for you. _I reminded myself.

"I've never had anyone say these words to me, Theo." I said from my cowering position. "I just... I don't know what to say to you..." I choked back a few more tears. "I don't understand how you could think you weren't worthy of me."

"Because you're beautiful, Daphne. Not just on the outside, but your entire being." That killed me. I don't think anyone had ever told me I was _beautiful_. I'd been told I looked 'hot' or 'sexy' (I had my breasts to blame for that), but to have someone say I was beautiful was like opening the flood gates of my eyes. "I should tell you something else too." He whispered, putting his hand on my back, gently rubbing it as if I were sleeping. "Everything that I've done; saving your life, my job, my house, everything, has all been in the hopes that someday you'd give me a chance."

"Oh God, Theodore..." I sobbed. I probably sounded like he had just broken my heart, when in reality he had probably restarted it. I sat up and tried to wipe the tears of my face and eyes. He looked at me so sincerely and serenely that I thought I might cry again. "I will never understand how that mind of yours works." I smiled weakly. "How could you think that if you said all of this to me I would ever refuse you?"

"Because I thought you only loved me as a friend." He said softly, taking my hand and squeezing it gently in his.

"I think I did at the time..." I admitted, wiping another tear from my eye. "But the way I feel right now... I'm so taken aback by what you've told me, but I think that it's shown me that there has always been a part of me that has loved you as more than a friend... I just never noticed it." I sighed when i finished, attempting to hide my face again. I was embarrassed that I was crying, but also because Theodore thought I was beautiful, and no one could think that a face covered in tears and with swollen red eyes is beautiful. Theodore smiled and pulled me into a hug, holding me so close to his chest that I could hear his heart beating. "I'm sorry if I ever lead you on, Theodore."

"I wouldn't have minded if you had." He said softly into my hair as he rested his head on top of mine.

"I know what it's like to be led on Theodore." I said flatly. "And I know the pain it can cause, so I'm sorry for never noticing your true intentions."

"Well, if you feel that bad about it," he said softly beside my ear. "Can you do me a favour then?" I nodded my head slowly; I would kill to have him forgive me if necessary. "Can you give me the chance now? To prove that I'm worthy of you?"

I let one sob of happiness escape me; his offer was so simple it was almost sacrificial. I sat up from leaning against his chest and nodded my head slowly. "You're the best man I've ever met, and I'm so happy that I have you."

"Is that a yes?" he asked quietly as he inched closer to me face. I nodded my head slowly and waited with anticipation for what I knew was coming next. A moment later, I felt his lips press against mine, and it was like coming home after a long and hard journey. I felt so relaxed, so at peace, that all the trials and tribulations of the last few years faded away.

I believed that I had found true happiness at last.

**_AN: So hopefully I'll get the chance to write over my reading week, but no guarentee's right now :P_**

REVIEW PLEASE!!!!

I've also come up with a couple ideas for stories next.... hopefully you'll enjoy them when I get around to writing them :)  
Next chapter up soon-ish... not sure when, but it will be :P


	30. Discoveries

**_AN: Sorry I'm taking so long to update! My mind has been a billion and one places these past few weeks! Hopefully once all these assignments and exams are out of the way, I can work a little harder on updating...  
There are only 2 chapters left in this story! Good Lord, I'm so close to the end!_**

Enjoy it while it lasts :P

**(2006)**  
The sun was blinding to my eyes that morning, filling the room with an unbearable light that made me pull the covers over my eyes.  
_Another cursed summer day... _I thought bitterly as my stomach rolled in nausea. I hadn't been out of bed for days, except to puke in the en-suite bathroom, and the happiness of the outside world was beginning to make me sour. I sighed as I flipped the cover from off my face and squinted at the light. _Maybe today I'll stop puking and get on with life._

"Sun bothering you?" Theodore asked as he walked into the room, having just finished his breakfast. He looked at the way I cowered from the light, and flicked his wand at the two giant windows on either side of the bed. The blinds dropped down from the top and landed on the floor with a light clap.

"Not anymore." I groaned as I rolled over in bed again.

"Still sick I take it?" he said softly as he said on the edge of the bed.

"Yes..." I mumbled angrily at my body. "I'd like to know what the hell I ate to get _this_ sick!"

"You haven't eaten since the day before last; maybe you're _actually_ sick." Theodore suggested as he did up the buttons of his shirt. He, unlike me, was going to go to work today. I was going to lie in bed and pray that I sleep for the next 12 hours. Theodore stared at me for a moment and started to say "You know, I can stay home and-"

"No, you have a big case today." I interrupted before he could even finish. I knew perfectly well that if I asked, he would stay. But that was what worried me; last thing I wanted was for him to lose his job because he's caring for his sick wife who has the flu or something.

"You're sure? Because I can just tell my boss that I'll-"

"No, I'm fine." I insisted, smiling in gratitude at his offer, but still not accepting it. He stared at me for a moment, then held out his wrists for me to do up his cufflinks (as I did every morning) for him. Then, with one more long look, he sighed and stood from the bed.

"Well, before I leave then, there's someone who wants to see you." He said with a small smile. I nodded my head and then sunk down into the bed a little more. "Oh, and this letter just came a few minutes ago." He added, pulling the letter out of his pocket and putting the gold envelope on my nightstand. Then he walked out of the room with a little haste in his step.

_Marital Bliss. _I thought with a long sigh as I made myself comfortable. _Having someone worry about you enough to offer to stay home and care for you. It's more than I could ever ask for of anyone I know. _I smiled slightly to myself as I checked the time on the clock beside my head. 9:30; he was going to be late for work. But I knew his routine like the back of my hand; living for 6 years with each other will do that to you.

I picked up the letter beside my head and examined the front. It was addressed to Daphne Greengrass, which was strange since I hadn't been that for 3 years. I took Theodore's name even before that, with the hopes of avoiding confusion like this. I flipped over the envelope and noticed there was a seal, which seemed faintly familiar to me. Curious now, I tore open the envelope and pulled out the white paper with silver ink written on it. After I read the first two sentences, I felt my chest tighten and my heart stop (or race... I wasn't sure)  
_  
We are pleased to announce the birth of Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy at 4:45 this morning, June 7__th__, 2006. As a member of the extended family, we invite you to come and celebrate our new addition at-  
_  
I didn't bother to finish reading it. Instead, I crumpled it up and threw it in the general direction of the trash can. I couldn't exactly see if it made it that far, my eyes were starting to water a little.  
_  
How did they find me? _I thought fiercely, feeling a sense of fear now that almost made me scream. For my safety, I had arranged that only Theodore's owl be allowed to bring the post to our house. For a letter to arrive at this time of day, it would mean that someone sent their owl directly here. _How dare they contact me! They're the ones who treated me like dirt before! Do they think that time would just heal all my wounds!? _I felt my breathing growing more and more shallow as my temper rose.

Once again, all the reminders of why I tried to forget my past was coming back with a vengeance. I was forced to remember why I practically fell to my knees in surrender when I found Theodore again. How he saved me from myself and then. How my sister stole my love, and now had his child! Once again, I'd lost to my sister! Once again, I felt the monster of jealous and contempt growing inside me, where it had been lying dormant for years.

"Here she is, Lilsy." Theodore said cheerily as he entered the room with my guest.  
_Perhaps I over reacted. _I thought with a mental smirk _I beat her at one thing...  
_  
For a brief moment, upon seeing the tiny little girl in Theodore's arms, with my hair and his eyes, all my troubles faded away for a moment. Through my slightly-teary eyes, I smiled and held out my arms to hold my daughter.  
"Good morning, Princess." I said, my voice cracking a little.

"What's the matter?" Theodore caught on instantly that I was upset, and he was automatically sitting on the edge of the bed beside me. I ignored his question and took Lilith out of his arms and into mine.

My reason for living. My little angel. She truly was what I lived for, and every day what I looked forward to when I woke up. And if our relationship wasn't blissful before, then having Lilith certainly made Theodore and I closer than ever; she was the embodiment of our love, and what we focused everything we did on. She had made me forget everything of my past before I married Theodore. I no longer cared for any of the material necessities that I _thought_ I needed to feel better, nor did I drink to drown my troubles away. She was my therapy and my saviour.

Of course, Theodore still meant so much to me. And I still meant everything to him. He would still give me anything and everything I asked for, but I was more than willing to share that privilege with Lilith. Tracey, however, had always teased that Theodore was wrapped right around Lilith's little finger the moment he set eyes on her.  
_  
Understandable. _I thought as I smiled at her as she tried to reach for my earrings. _She truly is the most amazingly beautiful creature I've ever seen...  
_  
"Daphne, what did the letter say?" Theodore pressed again in the same tone of concern. My momentary fantasy world that I'd lived in for 6 years, where Draco and Astoria and my parents didn't exist, was once again shattered at the reminder.

"Nothing" I muttered unconvincingly.

"Nothing?" he asked suspiciously.

"Just a memo from work." I lied.

"And you're crying from it?" he asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"No no... My stomach just hurts." I told him. That wasn't _really_ a lie... just not the real reason to my tears.

Theodore stared at me, then nodded his head slowly. "That's it; I'm staying home."

"No!" I said a little too hastily. "I need you to do me a favour after work." I thought on me feet.

"What's that?" he asked, no doubt wondering what he missed in his almost daily showering of love and affection through gifts. I scanned my brain quickly and came up with the first thing that occurred in my plan of avoiding my family and Draco.

"I want to move." I said simply.

"_Move_? As in houses?" he asked in confusion.

"Obviously, Theodore." I sniffed a quick, but awkward laugh. "I just..." I trailed off and looked down at my daughter. _I beat Astoria at one thing; Lilith is 6 months older than whatever her kid's name is. _I thought with temporary glee. "We were both country bred; we don't know anything about raising a child in the city." I told him. He looked at me like I was insane, then chuckled a little.

"Well, we can move when she's a little older than."

"No, I want to move now. As soon as possible." I told him with a little more determination behind my voice. Now that I was thinking about it, the sooner we moved, the less likely my family was to find me.

"Daphne, what's the matter with you?" he asked, taking my hand and giving it a light squeeze. "Where is all of this coming from?"

"Theodore, when we got married, you said you'd do anything for me." I said in a low but even voice., I hated using this against him, but there was no other way to make him act. I couldn't tell him the truth; he had no idea about me and Draco, and I intended to keep it that way. And I really did fear staying here anymore, for the chance of my sister and my parents having forgiven me for all the things I said and did was slim.

"And I meant it, and I will, but I want to know _why._" He replied back, his tone mirroring mine. We stared at each other for a minute, both too stubborn to give in. It wasn't until Lilith cooed for attention in my arms that we looked away.

"Theodore, I don't feel safe here." I admitted.

"How? We're on the 40th floor of a tower, and you've put the most powerful charms on this house that even_ I_ have trouble finding it!" he chuckled.

"I just don't feel safe, Theodore!" I said sharply. "You think that a wizard can't figure out how to get up to the 40th floor?"

"And past all of your charms? I've never seen anyone doubt your ability to conceal-"

"Theodore, are you going to do what I ask?" I asked through a locked jaw.

"I want to know why, Daphne." He said firmly. "Before I up and move our entire life, I want to know what has got you so scared that you want to run." I didn't reply at first; I just stared at him. He always could tell every emotion I was feeling. "I can see fear in you, Daphne. What's wrong?"

I looked away and stared at Lilith, who was fiddling with the hem on her little blue dress. I tried to concentrate on what it was like to be so innocent and naive like her. I really wished I could go back to a time where I didn't have a care in the world... as opposed to the 300 cares I have every minute of every day.

"I had a dream." I lied. One thing I found useful, but wasn't proud of, was that Theodore couldn't tell when I was lying. He looked at me now as though to say 'Are you serious? This is all over a dream?'. "You know that my dreams have a habit of turning out right."

"Yes, but you've also had dreams where you've been a pineapple, on a mission to destroy the fruit wagon from stealing your friend Mr. Orange." Theodore pointed out with a small smirk.

"Hey, that was a symbolic meaning!" I defended. "Blaise moved away the next week because of work."

"Yes, but he moved _voluntarily_." He pointed out. I pouted a little at the contradiction; whether he wanted to admit it or not, I _did _have a habit of dreaming something that would occur later on. "What did you dream?"  
_  
Damn. Now I'll have to lie through my teeth. _I thought. I sighed as I tried to waste time. "I dreamt of 4 tall towers of black smoke that reached all the way up to our apartment. I dreamt of glass smashing on the floor in the living room. I dreamt of running through the streets, and somehow losing Lilith." I spilled quickly as I thought of the lie.

"And did you see who it was?" he asked, apparently buying my story. My mind smirked.

"No, they were cloaked and hidden." I paused. "Like death eaters."

"All the death eaters disbanded right after the war, Daphne. We both know that."

"Doesn't mean that someone can't dress like them, does it?" I pointed out smartly. "Look, I just have this feeling that we're not safe here anymore. I know you can find us a new home that will be much safer and hidden from the world, and I'm convinced that I'll feel much better there."

Theodore looked at me, then at our daughter, who was now chewing on her dress. He chuckled a little, took the wet fabric out of her mouth, and gave her a soother in its place. "Well, where do you want to move?" he said in defeat.

"Wales." I said simply. "How about that village we visited? Mumbles or something?"

"_Wales_? It's a little far, don't you think?"

"Not when you have a best friend who works for the Floo Network." I smiled smartly.

Theodore sighed again and shook his head slowly. "_Only_ because I want you happy, Daphne." He told me as he leaned forward and kissed me softly on the lips. "And because I love you so much."

"I love you too, Theodore." I smiled thankfully. "I think it will be better this way."

"I certainly hope so." He smiled, then kissed Lilith on her forehead. "You sure you can take care of her today?"

"Oh, she'll be fine." I chuckled.

"I'm worried about her getting sick." He frowned.

"She won't get sick." I assured him. "I think that what I have is just a rejection to something I ate; I haven't had any other symptoms."

"Well, if you start to feel worse, you send for Tracey right away. You know that she'll take care of her any day."

"I should hope so; she _is_ her Godmother." I smiled down at Lilith "And she loves you just as much as we do, doesn't she?" I said in a sweet voice that made my daughter flash a toothless grin at me. "You're going to be late, Theo." I said in a sing-song voice to Theodore. He checked his pocket watch, and just like every other morning, started to scramble to find everything he needed. He grabbed his briefcase as he waved a quick good-bye to me and Lilith, then ran down the hall to the library, where out Floo connection would take him to the Ministry.

Now there was nothing. An eerie silence that brought back all my troubles. A dull light that filled the room with filtered sunshine that somehow made it seem like I was in a container. Lilith was hungry, so I fed her first, walking like a zombie through my own house. My mind was going a hundred miles a minute; how could they have found me? I was practically a hermit, never leaving my office or my home without Theodore or Tracey. I was careful to never send mail out to anyone that I couldn't trust. I had even gone as far as keeping my old address on all my work files, just to lead them to a dead end trail should they ever try to contact me.

_Why am I so worried about them contacting me? _I thought to myself as I fed Lilith her bottle as I paced back and forward in front of the massive windows of the Great room. I wasn't positive that they were still vengeful; maybe they really were trying to make amends.  
_No! They would never do that. My sister would never give in, nor admit she's sorry. My parents are the same way. The only person who would ever try to rekindle a friendship is- _I paused in my thoughts, felt the tears coming back, and shook my head feverously to get rid of the mental image.  
_Forget about him. Don't even try to imagine him coming back. He's not going to come back. _I told myself as I absently paced a little slower. _Even if he did, it wouldn't matter! You have Theodore and your own child. He means nothing to you now._"Does he?" I muttered aloud. I froze at the sound of my own voice and stared at the reflection of myself.  
_  
Of course he means nothing! _I thought sharply. _He treated me like crap! Why would I still have feelings for him!? It's been 6 years!  
_But he was the love of my life. I knew that. I hated to admit it, but I knew it was true.  
_If that's the case, then why did you marry Theodore? _My own thoughts were taunting me. I felt my throat tighten at the very question. The worst part was that I didn't have an answer right away.  
_Because he loves me, and would do anything for me. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I love him for it.  
_And like I had split-personalities, my thoughts chimed back again. _But are you IN love with him?  
Of course I am! _I thought sharply... too sharply. As I caught sight of my own reflection again, cradling my now sleeping daughter, I didn't fool myself.  
_Too late now if I wasn't..._I thought solemnly. My infant daughter had made me fall for Theodore so much harder than I expected. And it's not like I didn't love Theodore; I truly did! It's just that... I thought I loved Draco more.

There was a tap at the glass that made me jump, almost waking up Lilith as she snoozed in my arms. There was Theodore's owl, sitting on the balcony, holding the package I had ordered.  
"About time." I muttered. I opened the door and then ran to put Lilith into her crib. Then, upon returning and feeding Odysseus some treats (on occasion, he would take days to deliver mail... so we named him Odysseus, since he too got lost for an unthinkable length of time). I grabbed the package and put it on the kitchen counter, now pulling out my cauldron and starting to make my potion. It was a fool-proof potion, so I was almost guaranteed to not get it wrong... so double read every single instruction.  
The potion was clear, but it wasn't its current colour that concerned me. I had to drink it, and if it came out a different colour aside from clear, then my suspicions would be confirmed about my illness. It took 3 tries to get the liquid down without gagging or throwing it back up. But finally, after much struggle, I managed to keep the mint-flavoured drink, and decided it was better to go back to bed.  
_  
The longer I stay awake, the longer my mind will work... and the more upset I'll make myself. _I told myself as I double checked that Lilith was sleeping before I climbed back into my own bed, throwing the covers over my head in an attempt to hide from the world.

A few hours later, I awoke to the cries of Lilith in her room. She was clearly hungry, or needed a bath, or just wanted out of her crib.  
"Duty calls..." I mumbled as I climbed out of bed. As soon as I stood, I felt the sudden urge that I hadn't felt in days. I instantly ran to the bathroom to pass the potion, and before I stood up from the toilet, I sighed a long deep sigh of now-or-never. I stood up and looked back into the water; bring blue, as telling as if it were 1000% sure. "Well... that answers that." I sighed with almost relief. Lilith was now screaming from her room, clearly more impatient than I was. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" I called as I flushed the toilet and ran out of the room, feeling immensely better than before now that I knew the cause of my ailment.

Another couple of hours passed, and then I heard the telltale footsteps of a tired yet relieved Theodore. He walked right from the library to the bedroom, as he always did, jumping immediately into the shower. I knew it was best to let him cool down and get relaxed on his own before asking him how his day was. The routine of our lives was almost frightening. Exactly 6 minutes later, I heard the water shut off. I could visualize his routine in my head, and I knew exactly when he was going to come in the Grand room and greet me. I silently counted down from 5 in my head, only to have no calling of my name.  
_What could be keeping him? _I thought curiously. Right as I stood up to go investigate, he entered the room, all smiled as usual.

"Hello my loves." He said as he crossed the room, kissed me, then took Lilith from my arms and cuddled her. "How was your day? Are you feeling any better?"

"Much better." I told him with a smile, taking a seat on the couch again and motioning for him to sit beside me. "How was your day?"

"Excellent. Cleared yet another man of his sentence in Azkaban." He sighed contently as he sat down beside me, gently bouncing Lilith on his knee.

"One step closer to your goal, Theo. I'm happy for you." I smiled, kissing him on the cheek as a reward. I knew that it was Theodore's personal mission to free everyone in Azkaban, since he believed it was a very inhumane prison for even the most vicious criminal. When his father had been released, he was barely aware of what was going on around him. And when he died mere weeks later, Theodore attributed it to the mental torture that he endured while there. He now wanted to save everyone that was in there... even if it meant fabricating evidence.

"So, I found a house for you." He said with a crooked smile. My face instantly lit up at this expression; it's the one he put on when he knew he'd found something I would love.

"Tell me about it!" I pressed anxiously.

"I can tell you that it's so gorgeous, and I know you'll love it, that I bought it on the spot." He smirked smartly.

"_Bought_ it?" I questioned with my own smirk. He winked at me and chuckled quietly. I, of course, knew what that meant; made the owner _think_ that he bought it.

"It's beautiful, Daphne. It's right on its own point in the bay, and its completely hidden from the road by its own forest, all owned by us." He explained excitedly. "And it has it's own private beach, which faces out over the bay; you can see the Swansea shoreline all the way across the bay."

"Oh Theodore, it sounds fantastic!" I smiled brightly.

"I knew you'd love it." He said contently. "Now I have a question for you." He said, reaching into his back pocket for something. When he pulled out the golden envelope that I had angrily thrown away this morning, my heart sank. In a much more serious tone, he asked me "Are you going to tell me what this is all about?"

I stared at the crumpled paper in his hand for a minute, debating on what I should and should not tell him.  
"Where did you find that?" I whispered quietly, still staring at the paper.

"Under my dresser." He said flatly. "You apparently missed the trash can."  
_  
Of course I did. _I thought bitterly. _Just my luck it would bounce under his dresser too!  
_  
"I don't want to talk about that, please." I breathed quietly as I stared at the paper.

"Why? It's just an announcement of your nephew's birth."

"He is _not_ my nephew because I'm _not_ a Greengrass, remember?! " I hissed sharply. Theodore didn't even look shaken by my reaction; I'm sure he had more or less expected it, actually.

"Daphne, is this why you wanted to move?" he asked calmly, raising the paper so that as I stared at it, I was also staring right at him. I nodded my head slowly, almost as if I was no longer in control of my body; my emotions were taking over my common sense again. "Are you really that terrified of your family coming after you? Clearly they have other things on their mind right now."

"You don't know them." I muttered.

"No, I know them rather well." He said in a low voice. "Did you finish reading the letter, Daphne?" he asked. I shook my head, and now furrowed my eyebrows as he opened the crumpled paper and turned it towards me. "Look at who it's addressed from." He said in an almost sharp tone. I scanned down the page, and to my surprise, I did not see my sister's neat little scrawl across the bottom, nor did I see that of my parents. The only signature that was present was Draco's.

I felt my heart skip a beat and I stood from the couch despite myself. I knew that my actions had now given me away, and I swore under my breath at my stupidity as I stared out the gigantic window. There was silence between us, but I knew what he was thinking. I heard him get up, whispering something to Lilith, and walked down the hall to her room. He returned a minute later, stopping just at the top of the stairs, staring at me. I could see his face in the reflection off the glass; he was not happy.

"Something you'd like to tell me, Daphne?" he asked in a low tone. I shook my head, starting to feel the tears bombarding my eyes. "I see." He said quietly as he stepped down the stairs and took a seat in the black arm chair in the corner farthest away from me. "You know, for the longest time, I thought it was Blaise." He started to speak in a tone that sounded much more resentful. I instantly spun around and stared at him with my watery eyes. "I mean, it made sense after all; he was your first real boyfriend, and he had a strange obsession over you." He continued, now looking up from the floor and locking eyes with me. "I never dreamt it would be Draco."

"W-What are you talking about?" I stuttered, my heart in my throat as I spoke.

"You're in love with Draco, aren't you?" he asked in a flat tone.

My head felt like it was spinning. I stepped back and leaned against the cold glass, supporting myself as I felt my legs start to get weak. _No no no! He can't know! _My mind rambled as it tried to think of a believable excuse. The only thing that my body could do, however, was nod my head slowly.

"For how long?" he asked in a much less understanding tone.

"Since I was 13." I breathed back. It may have been even before that; I wasn't really sure.

"And do you love him still?" he demanded. I looked at him with shock, but much to my disappointment, I did not answer 'no' right away, as we both had hoped. Theodore stared at me with disbelief, then shook his head slowly and laughed bitterly.

"Theodore, please-"

"Is _that_ why you came to Tracey's that night?" he interrupted me. "The night of your sister's wedding?"

"Yes, but-"

"And is _that_ why you hate your sister? Not because she's a horrible person, but because she _stole_ him from you?" he continued his interrogation. I tried to stop the tears from flowing, but it was getting more and more difficult. I nodded my head slowly and then looked at the floor in shame. He laughed bitterly again, shaking his head and putting his face in his hands.  
"I should have known. You always did act so weird around him."

"Theodore, let me speak!" I pleaded.

"I'm not sure if I want to hear what you have to say." He replied sharply from behind his hands still.

"I don't care!" I spat at his remark. "Theodore, I haven't seen him since that night! I don't know why he's writing to me, but believe me, I've been faithful to you-"

"But _do you still love him_?" Theodore asked in a low growl that I had never heard him use before. It frightened me so much that I was frozen in silence. We stared at each other for a minute, my eyes wide with fear and confusion while his were glaring at me with contempt. I knew I had to say something, and the longer it took me to answer, the worse it would be when I did finally speak.

"I-I don't know." I breathed quietly, my voice hoarse at the oncoming tears.

"Ok, better question," Theodore chuckled manically. "Do you love _me_?"

My jaw dropped at the very insinuation that he was making. "Of course I love you!"

"But is it the same way that you love _him_?" he demanded.

"I don't know! I haven't seen the man in 6 years!"

"You _do_ know, Daphne! _Answer me_!" he shouted.

"I DON'T KNOW!" I screamed back, now letting the tears loose. He stared at me as I sobbed briefly, sliding down the window helplessly, landing on the floor like a ragdoll. "I don't know, Theodore." I whispered weakly. "I love you with all my heart because you love me, and you're the best thing that ever happened to me. But..." I paused as I thought for a moment. "Draco has this... obsessive hold on me. I can't get him out of my head! He may disappear for a long period of time, but then even reading a little reminder like that will bring all the feelings back like they never left."

"So tell me; do you love him more than me?" Theodore asked in a flat but probing tone.

"No, I love you more than anything, Theodore." I answered in single breath. "But my feelings from Draco are... instinctual. I can't help myself when I see him."

"Instinct?" he repeated to himself. "You're sure that's why you can't help crying? It's not because you're still madly in love with him?"

"Do you think that I want them to know I'm here?" I whispered quietly as I looked at the floor. "Do you think I want them to know I'm happily married to you, and I'm getting along just fine without them? That I have a beautiful daughter that I would die for?" Theodore didn't answer. "I don't want them to know all of this because I'm afraid of what they'll do. Just out of spite, they could send in Draco to seduce and confuse me, and then they would feed lies into your brain, or try to hard you, or worse yet Lilith-"

"I would kill them before they even set eyes on her!" Theodore interjected indignantly.

"And they know that... if they do in fact know that I have a daughter... or if I'm married at all." I pondered aloud. "You see, there are far too many unfavourable outcomes that can occur if they find out I'm living a happy life! They wanted me to suffer!"

"Well, I understand the moving part now, but you haven't answered my other question yet." He paused and caught my eye, which had only now just looked up from the floor. "Do you still love him? I need to know if there is any hope of protecting you the way you want me to."

I should have known he would end up doing something like this. Admitting something that normally tears marriages apart, and he isn't even phased by it. So long as I tell him the truth.  
_And what do you intend on telling him? _My mind scoffed. I was quite ashamed that I didn't have an answer right away. But, in my defence, I wanted to have a good, solid answer that I could stand by for the rest of my life.

"A part of me does." I admitted again. "That part of me is the same part that wishes for a family that loves me and appreciates me." I paused and looked up at Theodore. "But that part is my past, immature frame of mind that just refuses to be destroyed. That's what I mean by its instinct; I can't get rid of it!"

"Well, to want your families love is understandable, but to what Draco's love?"

"I think I've lumped him with my family now... I mean, he's taken their side now, so my brain apparently thinks that he must be won over as well."

"You never have to win over your family, Daphne." Theodore interjected. "If they don't want you, then that's their loss; when they see what a fantastic woman you're becoming, they'll wish they'd never cast you aside for that lazy harlot of a sister."

"But Theodore, that's what I _want _them to see." I pointed out. "I want everyone to see what she's really like! Whether she knew it or not, she tortured me all my life. Now I want her to feel some pain and overshadow by her own flesh and blood just so she can see what it felt like."

"I see." Theodore amended. "Well, what does the rest of you love?"

"Are you seriously asking me that question?" I chuckled. "I love you, Theodore." I smiled weakly. "Even if it hasn't always been as my lover, it's been as a friend. You are, and will always remain, my closest and dearest friend." I gave him a reassuring smile before I continued "And now that I'm in love with you, I don't think I could ever part from you. We have a beautiful child together, and a great life; I wouldn't give that up for Draco or any other man in the world." I told him. At that exact moment, my brain sent out a tiny little memory of what I told Draco, should he ever grown tired of my sister and see her for who she really is. I shook my head to get the thought out of my consciousness.

"Well, that seems like a suitable answer." Theodore said quietly. "I mean, there was no way I was ever going to let you wander back to him in the first place," he said as he stood from his chair and walked towards me with open arms. He helped me up and hugged me.  
I really don't deserve someone like him.

"Are you feeling better tonight?" he asked me as I snuggled against me.  
_  
Good Lord, I'd almost forgotten about that! _My mind laughed.

"Oh, yes I am!" I smiled brightly "Tell me more about my house."

"Alright," he smiled as he led me over to the leather love seat, where we sat almost every evening and watched the sunset. It was still a couple hours away, but the routine was comforting to me. "It has a long, gravel driveway that passes through wrought iron gates at the road. It's made of stone, and looks more like castle with a roof then a house."

"How many rooms is it?" I asked casually.

"Four. The master is at the back of the house, facing the sea, taking up the entire rear wing, and the other rooms are at the front of the house, facing the forest. I figured four bedrooms would be more than enough for all of us." Theodore sighed as he finally began to relax. I watched him sink lower into the couch and finally relax his muscles. I almost felt back for the piece of news I was about to drop on him.

"So we'll have one spare room for a guest room." I sighed peacefully, pretending to doze off to sleep.

"Arithmancy had never been your best subject; that would be _two_ guest bedrooms, Daphne." Theodore chuckled.

"No, I said it correctly the first time." I said with my eyes still closed. I was smiling smartly, knowing that the wheels in his head were turning. I once again could almost count down to his reaction.

"Daphne, are you-"

"I guess you'll find out in about 8 months, won't you?" I now beamed a smile at him, but my eyes were still closed. I felt him jump up from the couch and then, as he did the first time I was pregnant, he was on his knees in front of me, holding both my hands.

"You're positive?!" he asked excitedly. I laughed, opened my eyes and sat up.

"I took the potion this morning." I nodded reassuringly. "I daresay, this one's probably a boy, the way he's been making me sick!" I laughed.

"A boy!" Theodore exclaimed excitedly, the sheer joy and amazement reflected in his eyes.

"I don't know for sure, so don't get too excited!"

"Well, another girl would be fantastic too!" he corrected himself before he sat up, still knelt on his knees, and kissed me in a way, I was happy to say, he did almost every day. Unconditional love was what I had always been searching for, apparently. "We move tomorrow! Tonight, if you want! Is there anything you need?" Theodore started off with his selfless service. I laughed and shook my head.

"We can move tomorrow, and no, there is nothing I need more than you, Lilith, and the next Nott child." I told him lovingly. He smiled at me and kissed me again. From the corner of my eye, I could see the sun setting quite early in the evening.  
_  
Life goes on, happy as it always was. _I thought with an inward sigh. _Pray that it doesn't change, Daphne... _

**_AN: Soooo yeah! There's your update! Like I said earlier, there are only about 2 chapters left in this story :( Then I'll have to figure out how to start the next part. Yes, I have decided to write a sequel, which will not be as long, but will be a contiuation of sorts.... you shall see._**

I've also decided to work on a Narcissa story (believe it or not). I had a great idea, so I want to get it started someday soon.... ah crap, and I have to finish my Twilight story! lol SO MANY STORIES SO LITTLE TIME.

But you know what makes me write faster?....

**_REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REVIEW PLEASE!!!!_**


	31. Extinction of Instinct

**_AN: OH GOD! I've been soooo busy, this chapter has been sitting half finished for WEEKS! But I finally got some spare time, and I decided to finish it up tonight... just because I love you guys so much._**

I hope you enjoy this little update....

**(2010)  
**No doubt I looked like a walking circus as I walked through the giant atrium of the Ministry of Magic that morning. Trying to balance 3 children, all under the age of 5, was a feat on its own. But trying to weave through the crowds of hundreds as they headed to their office, carrying briefcases and large boxes in their arms that blocked their views of small children made my day seen nearly impossible.  
_  
Tracey _would_ have an emergency meeting on my busiest day! _I thought as I adjusted her 2 year old that was resting against my hip. I tried to herd my children with my brief case and words when they veered off course with every step. Truly, this was more exhausting than anything I'd ever done before.

"Mummy, can we go to the ice cream parlour on the way home today?" Lilith piped up in her high pitched yet gentle voice. I chuckled and shook my head slowly.

"Lilith, it is 9 in the morning; how on earth can you be thinking of ice cream and sugar _this_ early?" I teased her, gently guiding her out of the way of a tall, brown haired wizard who was rushing past us.

"I want some too, Mummy!" Damien replied instantly. I gave him a knowing smile; he was always eager to keep up with his big sister.

"Well, we'll see how well you two behave with the childminders today, alright?" I offered them half-heartedly. It was really going to depend on how tired I was by the end of the day.

Thankfully, the Ministry had decided to use some of its excess office space from those departments that became obsolete after the War was over and make a day-care. As far as I was concerned, it was the smartest thing they'd done in years! Not only was I glad to see that Theodore and I were not the only one procreating (evidently, after a War, there is _always_ a population boom), but it was a great chance to let the kids get to know other children before they even got to Hogwarts. Theodore wasn't too fond of the idea at first, but when my work schedule became too hectic to handle Damien and Lilith, and Tracey found that she too didn't have the time to watch them, we all gracefully gave in. I loved spending time with my children, but some days I just wanted them to go away for a few hours, and give me a moment's peace! This was my chance, and I could get some work done, making my time spent at home that much more enjoyable.

Lilith had grown so quickly that I literally could close my eyes and see her as a newborn again. She was my first child, and needless to say, Theodore and I did everything in our power to raise her the best way we possibly could. I made sure to think of how I was raised, and consciously did the opposite. And when we moved to Wales, I made sure that she was given her own room and all the attention she needed, despite carrying my troublesome and exhausting son.

No doctor was able to figure out why, but Damien literally wore me right out throughout the entire time I was pregnant with him. Theodore was concerned that perhaps he was ill, or that he was going to have some sort of behaviour problem, but all the people we saw told me that 'carrying a son is like carrying a rowdy stadium of Quidditch fans; you'll never get a moments peace'. Thankfully, after he was born, we never had a problem with him; he was so quiet, and so calm that we thought that maybe he was_ too_ passive. But once he learned to walk, and started to play with his sister, his true personality shone through as a cunning but impressionable boy, who wanted nothing more but the acceptance of his peers. He had his father's wit, and my longing for the approval of others.

Then of course there was my other addition to the family.

Theodore and I decided to stick with just two after I had our Damien, but we couldn't stop Tracey from adding her own input to the situation... literally. After having seen me through two pregnancies, and helping me raise Lilith, she decided that she wanted to try it out for herself. So, while on a business trip to America, she found herself a wizard, who 'donated' his part of the equation... To this day, I have no idea if the man is even aware that he fathered Tracey's daughter. But, either way, Kiera Davies (or Kiki for short) was practically a third child to me just as my children were practically Tracey's, and I couldn't help but relish at the thought of repaying my best friend by helping her out with her daughter.

_And now I'm stuck herding all these kids through an impossible busy hallway of hundreds... _I chuckled to myself as I adjusted Kiki on my hip again, who was chewing on her long, blonde pigtails. For being only 3 years old, she was the most determined thing I'd ever seen! I would take the hair out of her mouth, and she would pop it right back in!

"Mummy, Lilith took my ball again!" Damien whined from a couple feet in front of me. Sure enough, I could see the head of red curls dodging around the people ahead of us, running right for the fountain. Damien looked up with wide eyes, pleading with me to do something. I looked at his big, honey brown eyes and felt my heart melt; he was the spitting image of Theodore, complete with the hair, eyes, and facial expressions.

"Lilith, give your brother back his toy." I sighed in frustration as I caught up with her as she bounced the small ball on the fountains stone ledge. Lilith made a face at Damien, but handed it back to him without much of a fight.

"Bubbles!" Kiki squeaked in my ear. I sighed and sat down on the edge of the fountain, letting her reach down and splash in the water. Tracey had told me she was going to meet me here before we had to drop off the kids, but from the looks of it, she was going to be late... again. This was beginning to turn into a regular occurrence; Tracey and Theodore running off for early meetings, and me being left to care for 3 children on my own.  
_  
Not that I mind... _I thought with a small smile as I pulled Kiki's pigtail out of her mouth (again). _They make my day go by much faster.  
_  
"Damien, stop it! You're doing it wrong." I could hear Lilith sneering at her brother. I smirked a little, but didn't interfere; I could only imagine what Damien would fire back.

"Who made you the boss!" Damien challenged before he yanked the ball out of Lilith's reach. I sighed in preparation for the screams that were to come.

Just when I was expecting her to cry to me about something, I heard her laugh about something, then I saw the red curls running out of my sight.  
"Lilith!" I called in annoyance. I tried to figured out what to do now; I couldn't leave Kiki, but Damien would be alright alone for a moment. I stood up and prepared to run after her (carrying Kiki at the same time), but lucky for me, Lilith came bounding back through the crowd, another small boy in tow. "Honestly, why do you run off like that!" I sighed as I sat back down on the ledge and continued to wait. "Who's your friend, Lilith?" I asked as she started to show the blonde boy the ball that her brother had grudgingly handed over.

"Well, this is interesting." A smooth but low voice chimed from off to my right. I didn't even need to think to know who it was. As I stared at the children playing by the ledge of the fountain, a cold wave of realization flooded over me as I took a closer look at the blonde boy; it was Scorpius. Which could only mean one thing...

"Fancy seeing you here, Draco." I muttered spitefully, turning my head slowly and shooting him a death glare. Much to my disappointment, he looked as good as ever (no surprise).

"I thought the same thing." He said smartly, now standing in front of me "I see you've now met Scorpius. Of course, you did have the opportunity when he was born-"

"You must think I'm an idiot if you thought I was going to walk into that snake-pit!" I scoffed.

"You know very well that_ I_ sent that letter, not your family." He corrected me patronizingly. Some people never changed....

"Once again, you must think I'm a fool." I grumbled. "Besides, I had better things to do with my time."

"Like?" Draco chuckled.

"Oh, I don't know... work? Sleep? Read? Or even do nothing frankly; everything that presented itself was an improvement to forcing myself to endure an afternoon with y family." I replied smartly, shooting him a dark glare.

"Mummy! I lost my hair ribbon in the water!" Lilith called lightly. I didn't move at first. I prayed that perhaps Draco had thought she was talking to someone else. But, evidently my face gave it all away, and he chuckled with a wide smirk as he looked at me. Apparently now he also noticed the little blonde girl sitting on the ledge beside me.

"_Mummy_?" he asked with slight disbelief. I glared at him, but did not reply. "Isn't that interesting. How old are they?"

"Piss off!" I hissed angrily at him "It would be wise for you to forget that I have children!" I threatened. He stared at me strangely, then smirked again.

"You think that I would report back all my findings to your family, don't you?"

"Wouldn't you? Aren't you still my sister's lap dog?" I replied bitterly. Draco made a small clicking sound with his tongue, like he was chastising me.

"Still as bitter as ever, I see." he chuckled

"Mummy, my ribbon!" Lilith pouted, annoyed that I didn't respond to her call the first time; sometimes, despite how hard I tired, she reminded me of my sister...

"Reach in and get it, Lilith!" I snapped sharply. Despite the fact that I almost expected her to burst into tears, she looked at Draco for a moment, then miraculously turned away in silence, reaching her hands into the water.

"Interesting name... Lilith, is it?"

"Oh, and you're one to talk!" I laughed sarcastically. "You named your son _Scorpius_! You must hate children to torture your own son with a name like _that_!" I sneered.

"It's tradition in my family, you know that." He remarked smartly. "I'm sure when you were imagining your fantasy life with me, you came up with a similar name."

I shot the darkest glare I could, but it came out as a blank stare. Of course he would fire back with something like that! He had no other weapon against me except using my former love for him against me! "Glad to see you haven't changed a bit."

"And you have?" Draco chuckled, putting his hands in his pockets and looking around casually. "I don't believe for a moment that you've changed your ways Daphne." He smirked, then looked back into my eyes. "But tell me; who have you found as my replacement?" I stared back at him, but refused to speak. I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes in defiance against him. "Do you _know_ his name?" he added snidely.

"Piss off! Not all women are whores like my sister!" I hissed sharply, forgetting that my children were around me again.

"No, but all Greengrass's come from the same blood, don't they?" he said in a smooth, sultry voice that didn't quite make sense to me. I ignored the crooked smile that he was flashing at me.

"I am _not_ a Greengrass. You know that as well as I do." I growled through gritted teeth.

"Then whose name did you take?" he pressed, his eyes alight with the game that he clearly thought he was playing. I knew that there wasn't much point in trying to deny it, but I refused to give in to him like I always did. "What's the matter? Marriage not a satisfying prospect now that you're in it?" he teased me.

"Oh, on the contrary Draco, I am _very_ satisfied." I replied matter-of-factly. "With both my marriage _and_ my sex life. More than I'm sure you can say, right?" I had heard rumours of Draco's infidelity to my sister... then again, I was sure she was just as guilty, if not worse; neither of them were the most faithful of partners.

"Oh, now I _have_ to know who it is!" He laughed. "I want to know whose name you're screaming now instead of mine..." He said quietly with a smile so sly that I wanted to slap it off his face.

With almost perfect timing, my son came over and tapped me on the arm lightly. "Mummy, can I have a knut to throw in the fountain?" he asked quietly, looking at the stranger that stood before me with suspicious eye.

"Of course you can, darling." I said gently as I sat Kiki in my lap and opened my briefcase with my wand, levitating a small coin into Damien's hands. I knew that Draco was watching, and I smirked to myself as I snapped my bag closed and looked up at his analytical stare. "I'm sure if you think hard, you'll figure out who their father is." I remarked smartly. He stared harder, but didn't seem to get it. "Damien, come here." I called my son over gently. He stood beside me obediently. I took his face gently into mine, pretending to turn his head to check the back of his ears, but in reality, I was turning my son's face so that Draco would get a closer look.

It apparently hit Draco like a ton of bricks. The change in expression was amazing! As soon as my sons honey brown eyes caught Draco's, his jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding!" he scoffed in disbelief. "_Nott_? You married _Nott!?_" he said, shaking his head slowly as he looked at my son and my daughter, then chuckled quietly. "My my, Theodore finally got some courage after all." I now looked at him with a confused expression "I knew he was in love with you for years, Daphne. Everyone knew, except you naturally."

"Is this the part where you tell me I was too tied up in loving you?" I rolled my eyes.

"Are you telling me that Nott is good in bed!?" he read between the lines at last.

"Very." I replied with a smirk of satisfaction; I could tell that was getting under his skin.

"I can't believe you think Theodore's a good lover..." he chuckled in disbelief, shaking his head again.

"Why, have you had sex with him?" I quipped smartly.

"No, I'm afraid sleeping with gay men is your forte, is it not?" Draco sneered back. I knew exactly what he meant by that. But, in my defense, none of us ever expected Blaise to be gay... until he brought home his new Spanish boyfriend, Lorne...

"Let this be a warning to you, Malfoy." I started slowly. "Theodore will not take kindly to seeing you here, nor hearing that you know about the existence of his children. You will be struck down in a second if he knew you were here." I warned him. "So imagine what he will do if he finds out that my family has been tipped off by you."

"I've got a better scenario." Draco replied, un-phased by my threat "What do you think he'll do if he finds out what you promised me the day of my wedding?"

My face flushed; I could feel it. I had somehow managed to keep that little secret to myself, despite Theodore figuring out that I had been in love with Draco for years. This could, and knowing Draco, would, destroy my life. If he wanted, he could easily plant the seeds of doubt and distrust, allowing them to grow with the lies he would feed them with. I knew that Draco was more than capable of convincing Theodore that I was still in love with him, and that I was more than willing to leave him for my first love.  
_  
Are you sure you wouldn't? _The evil, instinctual love in the back of my mind called. I locked my jaw to prevent myself from answering aloud to that question.

"That bargain is nothing." I growled through my teeth.

"Well, technically yes. I mean, part of the deal _was_ that I would have to tire of my sister." He said with a coy smile. "But I'm sure I could persuade you to change that small detail, couldn't I?" he smirked.

"Think what you want, Malfoy; I am not like my sister." I snarled.

"Are you so sure? Because I'm not." He added calmly. "Being married to her for this long, I've noticed some similarities between the two of you." He paused and looked at me with a wicked smile. "Would you like to hear them?" he replied with eyes like the devil.

"No, I would _not_ like to hear them!" I replied with a raised voice that no doubt attracted attention to us.

"HEY!" I heard a loud, booming voice from across the atrium that made people form a pathway from the elevators to where I sat. From across the hall, I saw Theodore, storming towards us with steam almost literally coming out of his ears. Tracey was running right behind him, trying to grab onto his arm or robes in an attempt to stop him.

"Oh, hello Nott." Draco replied smartly. "I was just having a small conversation with you family." He called to him as he drew closer with every step, teasing him with his manner.

"YOU GET AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!" Theodore shouted. It was rare to ever see Theodore angry, but I had never see him THIS angry before."

"Theodore, calm down!" Tracey panted as she grabbed onto his arm and pulled him back a foot just as he was within reach of strangling Draco. Thedore, although he didn't fight Tracey's grip off, pulled out his wand. Draco did the same at that exact moment.

"Going a little mental, are we Nott? Don't tell me dealing with prisoners all day has driven your sense awry." Draco sneered.

"I see that you're still as arrogant as ever." Theodore spat. "How dare you speak to her after all you did!"

"Correction." Draco replied calmly "She was perfectly willing the whole time."

Theodore looked at him with a look I had never seen. I was worried that perhaps he had truely gone mad. He tried to leap forward, but I jumped up from the fountain and stepped between them.

"Tracey, take the children please. All of them." I barked at her, enraged at the actions of my husband and Draco. If they were about to try and kill each other right here in the atrium, I didn't want my children to witness it. Tracey instantly picked up her daughter and ushered all the children, including Scorpius, in the direction of the daycare centre.

"Daphne, you can't tell me that you don't want me to fight him." Theodore growled, looking over my shoulder at his enemy still.

"No, she wants you to try and fight so you can prove to herself that she made the wrong choice when you lose to me." Draco replied smartly, trying to get a rile out of Theodore.

It worked.

Before I could even process what swear word Theodore had shouted at him, I was suddenly trying to hold back my surprisingly strong husband from committing murder. I reached up and grabbed his wand, trying with all my might to point it at the ground and not at Draco. They were shouting at each other, and I thought for a moment that Theodore was going to escape from my grasp, but a few wizards that had been watching stepped in and helped retrain the two of them.

"STOP!" I shouted as they still struggled to get free. I yanked the wand out of my husband's hand, and motioned for someone to take away Draco's. The short and solidly built wizard handed it to me. "Let's get this straight, once and for all!" I started, but of course was interrupted.

"Oh, this should be interesting; Daphne trying to tell the truth!" Draco laughed, taunting me and Theodore.

"You bastard, how dare you even speak to her after what you've done to her!" Theodore snarled.

"Theodore, calm down! It's not like he paraded me around and humiliated me. I was willing, at the time." I added that last point with a sharp glare in Draco's direction. He smirked at my words.

"He _did_ humiliate you, Daphne." Theodore growled between his pants as he struggled to get free of the other wizards who were restraining him.

"Theodore, what are you talking about?" I asked, shaking my head in frustration.

"Are you really sure you want to do this, Nott?" Draco said in a low, threatening voice that caught me off guard. He no longer looked amused, nor did he look like he was in control of the situation.

"Oh yes!" Theodore snapped back. "Anything to rid her of the delusion she has of what you're like." He added before he looked at me. "I didn't tell you because I never thought it would come up, but I knew about you and Draco long before you told me." He panted.

"What!?" I barked sharply in disbelief. "You knew!"

"No, not exactly." He said as he took in a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "You see, Draco used to come back every night and tell us all about his conquests with his 'lady in waiting', as he referred to her." He explained. "I didn't know it was you, but after you told me about what you used to feel for him, I instantly knew and it all made sense." He stared at me with eyes that were not only full of shame for not telling me, but pity. "The whole boys dorm knew about it, Daphne. Every single detail he could think of."  
I turned on my heel and looked at Draco, who had a smug smirk on his face.

_So not only did he toy with my mind all these years, but he wasn't even keeping me a secret!? And he refered to me as his 'lady in WAITING!'_I thought manically. _He never intended to make something real out of us! He just wanted to keep me on a string until he found someone better that was willing to put out for him!  
_  
"Is that true?" I demanded.

"Are you telling me that you don't believe your husband?" Draco teased, smirking at me with eyes that told me that he wasn't ashamed.  
Without thinking, I took the 6 steps forward that separated us and slapped him hard in the face. There was a unison noise of sympathy pain from the crowd, but no one called out to stop me. I'm sure they all understood that when you find out you were made a fool for 5 years of your life, and that half of your class knew about it as well, it was only natural to feel _some_ hostility. Draco's jaw hung open for a moment, then he turned his face back at me with the darkest glare I had ever seen from him. "You really did play me all that time, didn't you?" I said slowly, beginning to understand everything. "I was nothing to you, was I?" I shook my head slowly.

"Well, I wouldn't say _nothing_..." he started with that pretentious tone. I slapped him across the face again, and this time, some people in the crowd her chuckling.

"You and my sister deserve each other." I hissed sharply. Then, as he turned his eyes back to me again, looking just as angry as before, I snapped his wand in half before his eyes and threw it into the fountain. Then, turning on my heel again, I walked briskly back over to Theodore, took his arm firmly in mine, and dragged him over to the elevator. Although I wasn't paying attention, I swore I thought I could hear applause... or maybe that was the ringing in my ears that was warning me that I may faint with nerves soon.

I threw myself and Theodore into the elevator, shoving the operator aside and hitting the floor I wanted, then slammed the door closed. As the elevator moved up at high speed to the floor where my office was, I felt my bravado wearing off, and the understanding of what had happened started to flood into my brain. By the time the elevator stopped 30 seconds later, I was nearly having a panic attack. Now it was Theodore who took me by the arm and led me out of the elevator, and guided me towards my office. By the time we were in the door, I was already in full hysterics. Without thinking, I collapsed to the floor and just stared at my window straight ahead, which faced out into the atrium.

"Daphne, I didn't tell you because I knew you would be upset." Theodore soothed quietly, his hand on my shoulder as he stood behind me as a knelt on the floor and stared out the window.

"I know Theodore..." I sighed quietly. "It's just... it's hard to admit that I made a mistake." I took in a sharp breath as I tried to control my emotions; I did not want to cry over this. "And it's hard to forget my instincts." I paused for a moment, looking down at the briefcase and wand that I had clutched in my right hand. My knuckles were so tight that I could see the blood running under the white skin. "But believe me, Theodore; never again will he have the same sway over me..." I growled in an almost reassuring way to both of us. To Theodore, the battle had at last been won.

To me, the battle was lost. I could no longer run from the truth anymore. Draco never loved me. I was a fool.

**_AN: GUESS WHAT!! There is only ONE MORE CHAPTER!!!!  
I know, right! How the hell did I ever get this far!? haha  
I will start writing that one soon, but I am coming up to exams and the end of the school year (for university)... so please be patient!! Believe me, I WILL post the final chapter!! I need to tie the sequel in somehow... lol_**

Oh, and I've decided to write a Narcissa fic after I'm done with the Daphne saga. Should be interesting.

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!!


	32. Continuation

**_AN: OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!_**

BIG LONG AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END!!!

**(2017)**

The sunlight woke me up that morning. Although I didn't get a lot of sleep that night, I leapt out of bed and flung the drapes out of the window. I stared out over the glorious waters of the Swansea bay, and sighed a little. Today, at exactly 10:30am, would be the last time I would set foot in this house until Christmas.  
_  
That's because today is the day I go to Hogwarts! _I thought excitedly. I skipped across my room and flung my trunk open to see all my clothes laid out carefully by my mother. Underneath that were all my books and my cauldron. I didn't have a broom, despite how much I begged for one, but my father made me a deal that if my marks were good, he would buy me one in June when I came home.

"Hogwarts!" I whispered excitedly as I closed my trunk again. I couldn't quite explain what was driving me to be so impatient about today. Perhaps it was because my mother and father had both gone there, as did my grandparents, and all the rest of my family. It was tradition, after all, that all witches and wizards from the UK attend Hogwarts.

I was also excited because I had never been anywhere on my own before. Never at home, nor at my aunts house! My parents and Aunt Tracey either came with me, or told me to take my brother and cousin with us. That was the closest I ever go to an adventure... dragging around my brother and his best friend and cousin. I didn't even have a best friend! If my parents had perhaps let me out of the house every once in a while, that might be different...

Someone knocked at my door. I turned and faced the door with an excited smile on my face. As I expected, my father poked his head in and smiled at me.  
"Ready to go?" he asked me.

"I've been ready for days, father!" I giggled as I ran over and sat atop my trunk. "I can't wait!"

"So you do intend on going in your pyjamas then?" he teased me with a crooked smile. I looked down and saw that I was indeed still wearing my oversized Puddlemere United shirt. I made a face at my father, then laughed. "Well, it will be quite the fashion statement, Lilith." He chuckled.

"Do you have to go to work today, father?" I asked with a frown.

"No, I wouldn't miss seeing you off for anything in the world, Lilsy." He smiled brightly. "But you should hurry up and eat your breakfast. It's 10am already."

"10 o'clock!" I repeated in shock before I ran over to my bathroom, grabbing the clothes I intended to wear today from my chair, and started to change.

"I'll bring your truck down stairs for you. You're mother has breakfast made and waiting for you." My father called from my room. I called back 'ok' as I continued to pull on my clothes as quickly as I could. My muggle clothes were strange, but I threw them on anyways, noting that the quality of clothes were much less than that of what my mother brought home from Diagon Ally for me. Of course, mother told me that muggles made their clothes by machine, and not by hand or wand, making them very uniformed and shabby.

I brushed my hair quickly, tying back my red waves into a ponytail with a blue ribbon that I found in one of my drawers. Then, as the finishing touch after I brushed my teeth, I put on my locket that my father gave me for Christmas last year. It was sterling silver with a small rose engraved in the centre. When it opened, there were pictures of my mother and father, smiling proudly at me. I knew that it could be the only way I would see them for the next 4 months! I left my bathroom, and took one last look at the view from my bedroom window. The sun shone brightly on the sea, and I couldn't help but sigh; I would miss the sound of the ocean to put me to sleep each night. I then turned and looked at my room, which was clean and organized (since everything I could need was in my trunk), and still had a pile of dolls in the corner. I smiled faintly as I realized that I wouldn't need them again; I was practically grown up now! I bit my lip to contain the excitement that was coming forward again, then turned and ran out of my room excitedly. In less than an hour, I would be on the train!

When I ran into the dining room, I was surprised to see my bother sitting at the table, absently poking at his eggs and sausage. He had been sulking all week that I going to Hogwarts wasn't fair, and he wanted to go too. Damien _always _wanted to do whatever I was doing! It was quite annoying actually...  
"Damien, eat your breakfast." My mother sighed from her chair, setting my plate in front of my chair. I climbed onto my chair and began to dig in my last homemade meal until Christmas dinner. From across the table, I could see Damien giving me a jealous stare from under his shaggy brown hair.

"I can't believe I have to wait a year..." he mumbled as he poked at his sausage with his fork again.

"A year is going to fly by, Damien!" my mother chuckled as she tried to push his hair out of his face. But, as usual, as soon as my brother put his head back down, it was back in his face. "Before you know it, you're going to be on that train too, and then Kiki will join you the next year; time flies at this age, darling." My mother tried to sooth him. He still sulked and continued to play with his food.

"Mummy, what time are we leaving?" I asked her brightly. She looked at me with a smirk.

"You've asked me this question 5 times in the past 3 days. We're leaving at 20 minutes to 11." She glanced at the grandfather clock across the room. "And I suggest you hurry up, or we're going to be late." She said with a smile as she poured herself another cup of tea.

"Mother, you said that our grandparents went to Hogwarts, didn't you?" I asked as I chewed. She looked at me with disapproving eyes, so I instantly swallowed my food and repeated my question. She always nagged me about my table manners...

"Yes, of course they did. All the wizarding families in the UK send their children to Hogwarts." She replied matter-of-factly, stirring milk into her tea.

"That's what I thought." I smiled contently. "So then who were they? Our grandparents?" I asked, nodding my head at Damien. My mother looked at me with a blank expression that confused me. Maybe she didn't understand why I was asking the question? "Well, I want to see if I can find them! They might have their name on the walls or in books-"

"There won't be any sort of records like that, Lilith." She told me as she stopped stirring her tea abruptly and picked up the Daily Prophet.

"Well, what if someone knows our family? How do I know if anyone is telling the truth of not if I don't even know what their names were? I mean, I assume you were called Davies before you married father since that's what Aunt Tracey's name is, but I-"

"Lilith, stop chattering and eat your breakfast." My mother snapped from behind her paper. I stared in shock a little bit for a moment, then reluctantly accepted defeat and started to pick at my eggs. I saw my brother staring at me with an expression of sour disbelief. As I expected, he waited for mother to go into the kitchen again before he tried to tell me I did something wrong.

"Why did you do that! You know mother doesn't like to talk about her family!" he hissed a whisper across to me.

"I know that, you dolt! I'm the one that told _you_ that!" I sneered. "It's just... well, I don't understand why everyone keeps them a secret...and why does it upset her so much?" I added quietly as I picked up some eggs and then scooped them into my mouth.

"I don't know. They never tell us anything...." Damien muttered as he pushed his plate away. "I can't believe you're going to leave me here alone for a whole year!" he frowned. I looked up at my little brother and shook my head slowly.

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing. Now you get to pretend you're an only child, and you'll get to see Kiki all the time." I pointed out to him, but he continued to sulk.

"I don't want to be an only child. And Kiki still lives at Aunt Tracey's."

"Well, if you're going to be all whiney about it, then fine." I said in a huff as I continued to eat my breakfast. If my brother was going to be his normal, sulky self, then let him! I didn't have to deal with it for a year!

"I'm going to miss you, Lilith." He mumbled from behind his hair. This time, he actually moved the bangs himself so I could see him. I couldn't help but feel the same feeling.

"I know, I'm going to miss you too, Dame." I sighed.

"Aren't you worried about not knowing anyone?" he asked me in an almost anxious voice. "That's what would bother me the most... And how do you even know if you'll get the house you want!?"

"I try not to think about that, Damien." I explained to him in a calm voice, but I was really trying to keep _myself_ calm. That was my one worry; getting sorted into a house I didn't want, and being forced to live with people that I might hate. "And we all know people that will be going. We all went to the Ministry together, remember?" I reminded him. He had only left the daycare last year, since he refused to leave Kiki, who was after all his best friend, alone there every day.

"I hated half those kids..." he mumbled.

"Well, then you're going to have quite a difficult time making friends, Damien." I sighed as I finished up my last scrap of sausage.

"Finished children?" my mother returned, looking more collected then calm, like she was still upset about what I said. Damien gave me an 'I-told-you-so' look, but I ignored it.

"Yes mother. Are we leaving now?" I asked excitedly. I heard Damien groan in protest.

"Very soon. Go get ready, Damien." My mother said gently, giving my brother a slight nudge out of the chair. He trudged off slowly, and went upstairs to his room to get dressed. My mother sighed at the sight of my sulking brother, then turned to me with a smile. "All ready to go?"

"Am I ever! I can't wait, Mummy!" I said so quickly that I could barely contain myself. "Were you this excited on your first day?"

My mother furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at the ceiling as she tried to remember. "You know what, Lilsy? I can't remember!" she laughed after a few moments. "It's been quite a long time since I was 11 years old."

"But you had fun at Hogwarts, right? You liked going there?" I pressed for more answers. I didn't want to be going to a place that was actually a horrible prison with hundreds of other children!

"Fun... is one way to look at it." She replied unevenly. "But it's not _all_ about fun, Lilith. You do know you actually have to work and _learn_ something." She added with a slight warning behind it, as if to say if I didn't do my work, I would be in trouble.

"I know that, mother." I answered, rolling my eyes a little. "It is a school, after all."

"She sounds just like you, Daphne." My father smirked from the doorway. My mother smirked at him and shook her head slowly.

"Sometimes it_ is_ frightening how much you act like me." She told me as she absently fixed my hair.

"She looks like you too." He added with a much bigger smile as he crossed the room and took my mother's hand. "Just as beautiful as you were at this age."

"I'd almost forgotten that this was the age we met!" my mother giggled as she un-tucked a lock of my hair from behind my ears. Both my parents stared down at me lovingly for a few silent moments. "You're going to have a great time, Lilith. Your father and I have many... pleasant memories from within those walls." My mother reassured me.

"And I'm going to be stuck here alone." Damien muttered as he trudged back into the room. My mother chuckled at his behaviour.

"And he looks just like you did at 11." She told my father.

"But I'm _not _11! I'm only 10." He whined. "If I were 11, I would be going today too!"

"You don't need to tell us twice, Dame." My father chuckled as he tried to fix my brothers hair out his eyes again. "You are getting a hair cut after we drop your sister off." He mumbled to himself as Damien's unruly locks fought back. My brother squirmed out from under my father's hands and glared at him; Damien had refused to cut his hair in months because he wanted to look like some Quidditch player he saw last year.

"Yup, just like you." My mother laughed to my father. They chuckled together at my brother's expense for a moment, then glanced at the grandfather clock. "Well, time to go!" my mother told me excitedly. I let out a high squeal in excitement as I ran over to the fireplace and jumped in first.

"Where are we going!?" I called as I jumped up and down in one place, almost hitting my head on the mantle as I did.

"Hold on, you're not going alone." my mother said flatly. I rolled my eyes; of course I wasn't. I wasn't allowed to go _anywhere _alone! "The three of us will go first." She said, taking Damien's hand and pulling him into the now very crowded fireplace. "Ready?" she asked us, taking a large handful of Floo Powder in her hand. "Camden Station!" she called clearly.

Within seconds, I felt all three of us flying through the fireplace, watching the hundreds of green portals into other wizarding houses fly by at the same pace. It seemed like it took forever to finally reach a destination, but when we finally came to a stop, we were standing in what looked like the fireplace of an old cathedral, with rafters and columns covered in bird droppings and plastic drop cloths. The floor was dusty with chipped away plaster, and there were many sets of footprints leading out of the fireplace towards a single, small entrance in the corner.

"C'mon, we don't want to be late, right?" Daphne coaxed us out of the fireplace. I, of course, leapt out with sheer joy; I was that much closer to Hogwarts, and to freedom!  
I loud crack filled our ears, and made many of the birds nesting in the rafters of the old church (now being used as a Floo Powder station) fly away in fright. With a loud thud, my father apparated beside me with my trunk.

"I would ask what's in here, but if you're anything like your mother, I would expect it's half of your room." He teased me as he struggled to drag the trunk behind him, following close behind us.

We walked for about two blocks, careful not to let any of the Muggles catch on that we were anything but ordinary. Father and mother were naturals at it, having both lived in the city for a portion of their lives. They walked with their heads high and their attitude very calm and collected, like they truly were muggles. My brother and I, however, had rarely walked the streets of Swansea, let alone the biggest city in the country. We tried to stay out of every one's way, and apologized every time we bumped into someone.

"Quite the tourists, are they?" my mother chuckled as she ruffled Damien's hair, gently steering us through the entrance into the train station.  
I was so excited that I instantly began to look around for other students like me, and the train they were boarding. But I saw nothing. I looked back at my mother for reassurance, and she just winked at me.

"Follow me Lilsy." My father called, who was now a few feet ahead of me. I walked behind him, and noticed something strange; he was heading straight at the wall between platforms 9 and 10.

"Uh, father?" I started awkwardly. But before I could ask anything, he ran full speed at the wall with my trunk, and disappeared behind it. I stared at the sight with my jaw dropped open, as did my brother. My mother just laughed.

"You'll catch flies with your mouths open like that." She tutted lightly. "Alright, c'mon. Go ahead." She reassured me. I looked at her nervously, then back at the large, brick wall. "Darling, the train will be leaving soon. You'd best hurry up." My mother reminded me gently. I nodded my head slowly in compliance, and started walking briskly towards the wall. As I drew nearer, I closed my eyes tight and waited for the impact that I expected. But, to my surprise, after walking through what felt like curtains, I didn't hit anything! And when I felt a pair of hands take my shoulders, I opened my eyes in surprise.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" my father smiled at me, then led me away from the entrance and towards the bright red train. There was smoke billowing out of the engine at the front, making it hard to see everyone on the platform. I could see a long line of shadowy figures standing along the platform, waving goodbye and hugging their children as they sent them off to the same school that I was about to join.

"Ready for the big day?" a cheery voice asked behind me.

"Aunt Tracey!" I smiled brightly and threw my arms around her in a hug. "You came!"

"Did you think I would miss my niece's first adventure to good ol' Hogwarts?" she laughed, rubbing my back as she hugged me.

"I wanted to say goodbye too!" my cousin Kiera piped up from behind her mother. I smiled and ran forward to hug her too. Her long, white blonde braids made her look like a Veela, but her voice was that of a child.

"I'll write to you Kiki, as often as I do my parents and brother." I promised her. She smiled and handed me a small package of what smelled like fresh cookies.

"Fresh made this morning." She smiled brightly.

"Kiki!" Damien cried in excitement like he hadn't seen her in years. They instantly embraced and did some sort of secret handshake that I wasn't included in. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Why does everyone make it sound like a surprise that we're here?" Tracey laughed as she hugged my mother and father. "Big day for you two, is it?" she said with a smirk "Try not to cry, Theo."

"I should say the same for you, Trace." My father quipped back with a laugh. He then looked over at me, and then to the clock on the wall. "Well, we'd best get you on the train; only about 2 minutes to go." He motioned for one of the conductors to load my trunk onto the train, and then reached out to me for a hug. I ran forward and gave him the tightest hug I had ever given him. "Goodbye darling. You'll have a wonderful time." He said softly in my ear. Then he let me go and looked to my mother, who was waiting with almost watery eyes.

"My baby girl is off to Hogwarts." She sighed as she stepped forward and pulled me into another tight embrace. "I sure hope you have as good a time as I did first year." She said in a light, distant tone. "Make sure you write to us the moment you get there, and tell us what house you're in and who you've made friends with." She fretted as she let me go and straightened my shirt.

"I will mother." I smiled. I saw my brother make a deliberate move so that he would catch my attention. I looked at him for a moment, then sighed. "Don't sulk, Damien." I grumbled as I stepped forward and hugged him as well. "I'll be home in 4 months, and I'll bet you'll love being an only child so much, you'll count down the days until I go back."

"I doubt it." He muttered, flicking his hair out of his eyes so I could see them. They were the same colour as mine; honey, golden brown, like our father. Only Damien's were sad and lonely, and mine were joyful.

"I'll write you all the time, and tell you everything about Hogwarts." I promised him, nodding my head slowly at him as if to say 'I'll miss you too'. He smiled weakly and mumbled a quick 'See you at Christmas'.

There was a loud train whistle, and my mother and father instantly stepped in to interrupt our touching, sibling moment.

"Alright, time to go!" my father said quickly. "You've got to find a good seat, after all."  
I smiled and stepped forward to the train, putting one foot onto the vehicle and then the other. I was now standing on the Hogwarts Express. I turned around in the doorway and saw my family staring back at me, some very proud, others very nostalgic and sad. Either way, I waved a quick goodbye to all of them, then turned and walked down the train to find a car.

I searched and searched for an empty or half-full car, but it was hard to find. Since no one knew each other well enough in first year, everyone just piled in to one car. But, after looking unsuccessfully in 3 cars, I finally found a car with only 4 boys in it. I wasn't shy around boys, so I opened it and walked right in.  
"Do you mind if I join you?" I asked them. They all looked at each other and nodded in agreement. "Thanks." I breathed as I sat down furthest away from them (as to not make them uncomfortable). There was an awkward silence between us all, and I cleared my throat to break it. "Uh, I'm Lilith Nott. Are you all first year too?"

The boys all nodded, except one, who was now staring at me curiously. "Lilith Nott, you said?" he repeated. I nodded my head and stared at him closer. He had white blonde hair and grey eyes, and looked vaguely familiar to me. "I'm Scorpius Malfoy! We used to play together at the Ministry daycare!" he replied with a warm smile. It took me a moment to remember, but with a name like Scorpius, it was hard not to!

"_Scorpius!?_ Really!"I exclaimed excitedly. "I had no idea you were coming to Hogwarts this year!" I laughed heartily at our reuniting. "I haven't seen you in years!" I sighed, noting how much he had grown.

"Yeah, I think the last time was when we were about 8?" he remarked, apparently as amazed by my growth as I was with his. "Well, thank God I know some people this year!" he sighed with relief. He turned his head and gestured to his guests. "This is Tayber Flint," he motioned to a boy with striking blue eyes and black hair, who was smirking about something to himself. "Lysander Zabini" he nodded to a black boy who was waving to someone outside on the platform. "And Oliver Gamp" he said, motioning to the last boy, who was blonde and tanned, and seem very tired.

"Very nice to meet you all." I said with a genuine smile. The boy named Tayber looked at me and laughed a little before he spoke.

"So, you're the daughter of Theodore Nott then, right?" he asked in a tone that I wasn't quite sure of.

"Uh, yes I am." I replied unevenly.

"I ought you shake your hand then, I think." He smiled and grabbed my hand without much permission from me. "Your father got my dad released from prison after the war! It's thanks to you I'm here!" he laughed.

"Well, in that case, then I think we should be cursing you." Lysander joked, nudging Tayber with his elbow. Scorpius laughed, but shook his head.

"Yo, Hype." The boy named Oliver mumbled from behind his shaggy blonde hair. I looked around in confusion for a moment; who was he talking to?

"What is it Ollie?" Scorpius replied. I looked at him in confusion, and he nodded like he had forgotten something. "I go by Hype when I'm with friends; only my parents call me Scorpius."  
_  
Can't imagine why... _I thought, but bit my tongue to stop myself from saying it. I only nodded in agreement.

"Did I ever tell you that your mom is hot?" Oliver smirked. Tayber and Lysander laughed, but Scorpius only made a fade and a rude gesture with his fingers.

"You tell me every time you see me." He sneered, looking out the window. "Trust me, I'm sure she'd be flattered by the compliment."

"Oh, well then be sure to pass it on to her." Oliver stuck his tongue out at him. I only shook my head in amused disbelief; what had I gotten myself into?

There was a jerk a moment later, and the train started to move. Everyone in the car stood up for one last glimpse of their families. To my disappointment, I couldn't see anyone from mine.  
"Strange... I thought they would have stayed to see me off..." I mumbled as I sat back down once we were out of the station.

"You didn't see them?" Scorpius asked me as he too sat down.

"Well, I was looking for my brother and cousin... maybe they all had to go to work and had to leave early..." I pondered aloud.

"Well, my parents were talking to two other people, so they weren't even looking as we passed.

"Ah..." I said quietly. "Then I guess we both have parents who are easily distracted." I smiled. Scorpius smiled back, then nodded at Lysander, who was handing out Spanish chocolate to everyone to share...

*******  
The moment I watched my daughter step onto the train, I felt my heart wretch with the pang on motherly instinct. To watch my firstborn go off to school for the first time... out of my sight for the first time... I was trying with all my strength not to cry.  
"She'll be fine, Daphne." Tracey reassured me with a calm hand on my shoulder, holding a handkerchief.

"Thank you for coming Tracey." I sniffed as I dabbed by wet eyes with the cloth.

"And next year it will be your turn, Damien." Theodore smiled at our son, ruffling his hair a little. "It's not far off, you'll see."

"So you all keep telling me." He muttered, then turned to Kiki and whispered something. I couldn't help but chuckle; if those two weren't so young, I would swear they were married the way they act!

"Well, that's one way to make our charade legitimate." Tracey muttered under her breath so only I could here. I laughed and shook my head slowly, looking at her to show how pleased I was. Only when I caught her eye, I saw a look of fright and impending doom reflected to me.

"What is it?" I asked as I turned to see what she was looking at. When I did, I saw through the smoke floated two tall, blonde figures. "Oh God..." I breathed, taking Theodore's hand to get his attention. As soon as he saw them, he pulled his wand out of his jacket and had it on guard, ready to go.

"What are _you_ doing here?!" Theodore hissed.

"Same thing you are, Nott. Seeing off our child to school." He said with a smirk, putting his arm around Astoria's waist that to this day still made me boil with rage and jealousy.

"Well well, Daphne. You did get married after all." She said with an acid tone. "Mind you, it's to a murderer, but it's better than nothing, right?" she said with an icy stare and wicked smile. She apparently had not forgotten our grudge either.

"Tracey, can you please take Damien and Kiki out of here." I whispered over my shoulder to her. She obliged me, out of fear of what might happen no doubt, and took both their hands and led them off of the platform. Once they were out of earshot, I turned back to my wicked sister.

"I see you haven't changed much, Astoria." I remarked smartly. "I see you're still sleeping around... or at least, that's what I hear through the Ministry gossip every day."  
"And how many rumours have I heard about you, Daphne?" Draco chimed in, his expression as cocky and self-absorbed as ever. "Surely we all remember your little stint with all those men-"

"_Before_ I got married, Draco." I replied sharply. "A massive difference that my sister apparently does not understand."

"I suggest you walk away right now, Malfoy." Theodore finally stepped in, apparently aware of the tension between my sister and I that might snap at any moment.

"And I suggest you put your wand away before you make a fool of yourself and try to attack me in public." Draco replied back smartly "After all, it doesn't look good for the Wizengamot's protégé to attack a fellow ministry employee, does it?"

"I can attack whoever I please, so long as I have good reason." Theodore growled. From beside us, the train began to move. All around us, parents were waving one last goodbye to their children. I wanted to do the same, but I was afraid that if I took my eyes off my sister, she may stab me through the neck.

"So tell me, Daphne." Astoria started with a coy smile "Do you still drink yourself to sleep every night because you're so pained about losing Draco?" she asked slowly, like she was pulling my intestines out of my throat meticulously slow. "I imagine it must cause Lilith and Damien _so_ much distress to see their mother in such a condition."

I looked at Draco and narrowed my eyes like daggers. "Glad to see a Malfoy still can't keep his word."

"I never promised that I wouldn't tell her; you _assumed_ that I did." He replied lightly.

"Well, you would both do well to forget it!" Theodore barked angrily. If it weren't for the crowd of hundreds of people around us, all calling goodbye to their children, I'm sure it would have started quite a scene.

"And for your information, Astoria," I started with my own acid tone "I haven't touched a drink since the night of your wedding."

"Really? Well, if I looked like you still, I would certainly start to drink." She replied with that same coy smirk. Despite my best wishes, I had to admit my sister looked like she was still 20 years old, even though she was almost 40 by now.

"Well, if I had a track record like you, and couldn't walk 10 feet in London without seeing a man I'd slept with, I'd take up drinking too." I added with a dark glare. My sister, as usual, looked offended. She reached in her pocket for what was no doubt her wand, but luckily I had the quicker draw. Draco saw that I reached for mind and pulled out his wand as well. Now, all 4 of us stood in a standoff, our wands pointed at each other's throats.

"Glad to see you're all getting along still." A man mused from behind Draco's left shoulder. Although there was nothing more that I wanted then to blast my sister's head off, seeing Blaise for the first time in years was a good enough replacement.

"Blaise! How are you?" I called excitedly, but did not lower my wand for fear of injury.

"Oh, I'm alright. Just seeing my son off." He said as he casually stepped in between the two sides of the stand-off. "Are you all _still _fighting over this damn wedding? It was over a decade ago!"

"We continue to fight on principle." I replied smartly "I want my sister exposed for what she really is. She wishes to keep me silent at all costs."

"Coming from the wife of a murderer, that seems pretty rich." Astoria sneered.

"A murderer who saved half your friends and family from going to Azkaban." Theodore growled from behind his teeth. "How are you, Zabini? Care to join Daphne and I for a drink?" he asked without breaking eye contact or lowering his wand from Draco.

"Certainly, just as soon as you _all _lower your wands and walk away." He said lightly. We all looked at him in confusion for a moment. "Potter is here; don't you think he would love to make an example of all his old enemies?" Blaise explained under his breath. Draco looked at me, then Theodore, and then tucked his wand away.

"Blaise has a point; I don't need to risk Potter getting meddled in my business again." Draco said haughtily.

Theodore now lowered his wand and said something similar about the courts not being too pleased with Potter getting involved in internal matters. Now it left me and my sister, who still kept her cold, blue eyes on mine. After a few more moments of staring, I lowered my wand with a smirk. She smiled victorious, and made a face at me.

"Do you always give up so easily?" she sneered at me.

"Only when I know I could obliterate my opponent in under a second if I wanted... care to try it out?" I said in a sing-song voice. Her smile faded, and she shoved her wand in her pocket again. She then looked at Draco, who nodded curtly.

"Zabini." He said with a short nod goodbye. He glanced at us, but said nothing, then turned with his arm around Astoria, and walked away into the barrier of the platform.

Blaise chuckled to himself and stepped in front of my view. "Have I ever mentioned that holding a grudge is very becoming of you?" he said smoothly.

"Blaise, you _do_ know we're married now, right?" Theodore said in a flat tone.

"And you _do _know that I'm gay, right?" Blaise retorted in a similar tone, looking over Theodore obviously. "And I must say, you are looking very good Theo." He winked at me. I laughed at the joke, letting my anxiety take a rest for a moment.

"I'm flattered." Theodore muttered. "Shall we go find Tracey? I believe she might be worried about having to attend a funeral."

"If only it were true... I think she'd be as happy as I would..." I muttered to myself. Blaise heard me and chuckled. I was furious at the fact that I was forced to see my damnable sister again, but that she ruined my daughter's big day by distracting me from my last chance to wave goodbye to her.  
_  
She always did screw up my life, no matter how hard I tried to keep it straight. _I thought bitterly, still gripping my wand tightly in my sweater pocket. _But next time, when there's no Blaise to save her, she won't be so lucky... _

**_AN: WOW!!!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S OVER!!!_**

**_Alright, well aside from the fact that I want EVERYONE to review, since this is the last chapter :)  
BUT! I have some thanks and some little treats for all of you._**

**_First of all, thank you SO SO SO SO much to my regular reviewers!! You guys keep me motivated to write, and the success of this story comes from you! It was great to hear your opinions and encouragement; it really helps!_**

**_Second, there is a sequel in order. I have decided. It will take place when Lilith is 16, and it will bring some old conflict from years past between the parents back into the picture for everyone... I'll start writing it most likely after I'm done school in May._**

**_Third! I have another Harry Potter fanfic in mind, which I actually started tonight :P it's about Narcissa, and it will have some overlap with the characters from this story, so look out for that one!_**

**_And last but not least, thanks again to anyone and everyone for reading this. I really do enjoy writing, and I'm so glad that many of you enjoy the story!!  
Thanks again guys!!  
-EndlessNight101_**


	33. AUTHORS NOTE

**_AN: HOLLA!!!!!!!!!!_**

GOOD NEWS! THE SEQUEL IS READY TO GO! I will be posting it shortly (i.e. in at least an hour!) But I wanted to put some sort of warning over here just in case!!!

It IS the official Sequel, and I'll give you a quick little run-down of the plot.

The story takes place 6 years after the last chapter of The Other Greengrass Girl, and follows both Lilith Nott and Daphne Greengrass. Lilith has been at Hogwarts, along with her brother and 'cousin', and has gradually become best friends with Scorpius "Hype" Malfoy. Although she questions her family's strange behaviour towards her friendship with him, she never guessed that the truth would be anywhere near as devistating as it truly is...  
And when the truth does come out, it comes out in the worst way. Let's just say someone goes up for trial on the behalf of the other, and Lilith and Scorpius are forced to face the daunting truth that a friendship may not be possible between them anymore...

The story is called Hereditary, and it's going to be under Daphne Greengrass/Draco Malfoy pairing, since it IS a spin-off from their relationship.

So yeah! Look for that! And of course review it and all that jazz. It's only going to be about 7-10 chapters, I imagine.

Annnndddd next I have my Narcissa fic, which i'm working on as well. And of course I have Queen Victoria, which I REALLY need to work on! Argh!

Oh, and I've also copied the soundtrack that I used when writing The Other Greengrass Girl from about 7th year until the second last chapter.

SO FORTH AND READ/DOWNLOAD THE SONGS!  
THANKS AGAIN!!  
-ENDLESSNIGHT101!!!

**SOUNDTRACK: THE OTHER GREENGRASS GIRL**  
**1. **_**Rhythm Devine- Enrique Iglesias**_ (Daphne and Blaise dancing at the Dark Lord's Ball, Year 7 pt.2)  
**2. **_**Ghost Town- Shiny Toy Guns**_ (The Slytherin's trying to flush the enemy out of the castle, Year 7 pt.6)  
**3. **_**When I'm With You- Faber Drive**_ (Daphne is happy with Draco, Shattered Happiness)  
**4. **_**Angels- Within Temptation**_ (Betrayal from Astoria and Draco, Shattered Happiness)  
**5.**_**Pieces- Red **_("Anger and alcohol", Shattered Happiness)  
**6. **_**Lonely Girl- Pink**_ (Absently preparing for the wedding, Plans)  
**7. **_**S.E.X.- Nickleback**_ (Bargaining with Blaise, Plans)--**_Very fitting for Blaise in my mind :P  
_8. _Stripped- Shiny Toy Guns_** (Legilimens, the Red Dress, and Dancing with Blaise, Plans) **_--- My ultimate favourite song!!  
_9. _Up in this Town- Boy_** (Daphne gets drunk at the reception, Plans)  
**10. **_**Beautiful Blue- Holly McNarland**_ (Daphne finally tells Draco her feelings, Letting Lose and Cutting Ties)  
**11. **_**Into the Night- The Motorhomes**_ (Daphne learns Theodore's feelings, Revelations)-- **_My other Ultimate favourite song!!  
_12. _Goodbye to You- Michelle Branch_**(Daphne finally learns to walk away, Extinction of Instinct)


End file.
